Novelocke
by Cervantes
Summary: [WIP] This is a 'novelized' version of a Ruby Nuzlocke. At this point, it is more of a plot outline through the protagonist's thoughts about the world around him. For those who don't know what a Nuzlocke is: keep reading. Pokemon hard mode. 1. You can only catch the first Pokemon you see in any area. 2. If a Pokemon faints, it's dead and cannot be used.


-Littleroot Town-

Moving... what a pain.

New country, new region, new town. Just cuz Mom's new husband works here.

Mom wants me to meet the neighbors.

So what? Its a town with all of 2 houses and a lab. We've met.

Motherly neighbor comes to the door. Apparently, she has a daughter my age.

I go upstairs to meet her and am summarily trampled on her way down.

What's her hurry? Damn.

Her mom apologizes, says something about the dad off someplace doing research.

Research? Sounds like a blast...

The lab is practically empty. Her dad is the professor?

So let me get this straight: there's my house with my family, then her house and her family, who also runs the lab.

Where do all these other people live?

Who wants to commute to frickin' Littleroot.

I have to get out.

Time to go exploring.

Obnoxious shouting, however, cuts my exploration embarrassingly short.

Some guy in a lab coat (gee, wonder who that is) is being chased by a Poochyena.

He wants my help.

Pokemon? In the bag?

Guess this one is as good as any.

A Treecko comes out and curb-stomps the canine into the dirt.

I follow Prof back to the lab.

He introduces himself as Birch, father of May, Professor of Hoenn.

He seems laid back. I like him.

He gives me the Treecko, "Zoro." (Lv.5)

He seems laid back, too. I like him.

He wants me to go on a journey. Kind of a pain, but at least it gets me out of this hellhole.

Bye mom.

-Route 101-

Zigzagoon - Defeated

-Oldale Town-

It should be a crime for two towns full of nothing to be so close together.

-Route 103-

May wants to battle.

Great, a headstrong girl. Damn. Just what I needed.

She has a Torchic, named Sanji. How dumb.

Zoro thinks its dumb, too. She is promptly defeated, but she definitely put up a fight.

Back to the lab? But I just started! Why would I want to go back? Damn.

Back here, Zoro meets an old buddy, a different Zigzagoon, "Yosaku" (Lv.3)

Yosaku seems to look up to Zoro a lot. I can see why. He's lazy, but a beast when fighting.

-Route 102-

Ran into a Wurmple, "Conis" (Lv.3). It was only a matter of time. They're everywhere.

She seems a bit sickly and keeps coughing up string.

Despite her condition, she was able to beat a trainer's Zigzagoon.

Upon his victory, she began hacking up a storm. It was only then that I realized she was evolving.

All that string was turned into a cocoon. Good for her.

Even as a Silcoon, she was able to help defeat another trainer and evolve into a Beautifly.

Things are looking good. Zoro and Yosaku are getting stronger as well!

-Petalburg City-

This is the city where Norman works. Damn.

Nothing else of interest. Some guy asked me what I saw in my reflection.

For a second, I saw my real father. So I left. What a depressing town.

Guess I'll be civil and at least talk to Norman.

He seems excited that I am going to be a Pokemon Trainer like him. As if I did it to be like him. This was kind of forced on me, remember? I guess it wasn't, but anything to get out of the house.

Also, he wants me to call him "Dad."

Before I can object, some kid runs in wanting to challenge him. No? He wants a Pokemon from Norman?

Ugh. He wants me to take him out and teach him how to catch his own Pokemon. Damn.

He ends up catching himself a Ralts. I guess that's pretty cool. I wonder if he'll be any good at training it. He doesn't stay around for long and Norman tells me I should go fight Roxanne.

I wasn't planning on taking the gym challenge, but I guess that's part of training.

-Route 104-

We ran into another Zigzagoon that Zoro was familiar with. I didn't need another one, but Zoro insisted that I "rescue" him from the wild. Yosaku is apparently friends with "Johnny" (Lv.4) as well.

-Petalburg Woods-

Another shitty city with another shitty peripheral. This forest path was just what I needed to remind me how bad of an idea this whole thing was.

I caught another Wurmple. "Magellan" (Lv.5) This one is sick in a different way. I think it's better to box this one.

I wish I could have gotten something semi-useful like a Shroomish or a Slakoth. Anything but another Wurmple.

Suddenly, Devon Worker out of nowhere! This guy uses me as a human shield against some Little Red Riding Hood wannabe and his Not-so-big bad Poochyena. Sure, Zoro makes quick work of the guy (he was actually the toughest opponent I've faced so far) but it's the principle of the thing! HUMAN SHIELD. Then, the guy runs off, leaving me with just a great ball.

How poignant because none of this is very "great."

-Back to Route 104-

Got into my first Double battle. Yes, it was against two little girls. Yes, I won.

Conis and Yosaku work pretty well together. I'm feeling better since the whole forest fiasco.

-Rustboro City-

At least this city LOOKS like something might be happening. No word on that yet.

The people here are just as strange as anywhere else in this region.

One guy gave me a Hidden Machine for no reason. I let Johnny play with it and he nearly cut himself. Some trainer I am.

Exploring the town, it looks pretty ok. But there's a school. I got out of there fast.

Strange place, too, they had an extra building out back, supposedly for the retarded kids.

Roxanne's Gym is in this town, too.

I decide to give it a try. Couldn't hurt right?

I decide to go with Conis. She has Absorb and tears through the first kid and his Geodudes.

She does the same to the second kid.

I figured this was a pretty good strategy. I can just sweep the whole gym with Conis.

Roxanne greeted me as just another challenger. I couldn't really be offended. It's not as if I'm something special.

She sends out Geodude, just like her underlings. Conis Absorbs its life.

I figured that was the end of it and congratulated Conis on her victory.

She got distracted by my congratulations and didn't see the Geodude get back up.

She was killed by its Rock Throw.

I'm an idiot. Why did I bring a bug into a Rock Gym?

She will be avenged. Specifically by Zoro.

He does a number on her Geodude, but is almost killed by Nosepass. [Rock Tomb]

Luckily, I had forgotten about Bullet Seed, which was given to me on my way in.

Still... I don't think I'm ready for the gym challenge.

RIP Conis. (Lv.12)

Roxanne congratulates me and Zoro and asks if she can teach him a technique. I'm wary, but agree anyway.

After the battle, Little Red comes running by again, followed by the Devon President. Apparently he stole something.

Not my business.

I go back the way I came, just hanging out with my Pokemon. Apparently you never know when one of them will fall victim to stupid trainers.

Johnny has gotten better at using that Hidden Machine and cut down a small bush.

He's always been good at finding items hidden in the grass, but this time, he went out of his way to find me something.

He's so cool. I don't think I'll ever use him in battle though. I can't do that to him. I was supposed to RESCUE him.

I rested for a while, thought about what was going to happen and I decided to keep traveling.

It would be immature to just run back home, especially after Norman was so enthusiastic about my journey.

Not that I'm trying to make him proud or anything.

On my way out of town, Devon Corp Guy stopped me, saying something about the Red Hood running off.

I'll go stop him. But I feel empty without Conis. I guess I could try to evolve Magellan, but I think its too soon for such a replacement.

I caught a Nincada, "Coby" (Lv.6) Lets see how he does.

-Rusturf Tunnel-

Outside this cave, an old man is worried about his bird. I don't have time for this.

Inside, that very bird is being held hostage by the Red Hood. How convenient.

Coby quickly proves himself by defeating that Little Wolf of his. Feels good.

Oh, and I decided to catch one of the little annoying rabbits inside. A Whismur. Named him "Apoo." (Lv.6) He's kinda cute.

Old man is Mr. Briney. He invites me to his cottage. Sounds fishy.

Devon guy gives me another great ball. Great...

But he also introduces me to his President, Mr. Stone, who gives me a PokeNav. Finally, something worth my time.

However, they also ask me to be their personal delivery boy. I can't really refuse. Besides, I'm traveling out that way anyhow.

There's nowhere left to go from here. The tunnel is blocked off.

I go back the way I came and run into May. She tells me she knows Mr. Briney. I guess I can trust him then.

When I reach his cottage, he agrees to take me wherever I want to go.

We set sail for Dewford. I hear there's another gym there. Am I ready for that again?

-Dewford Town-

Another small town. Rustboro was a nice, big city, really worth my visit, but this place isn't a bad small town.

Its right on the beach so at least it smells good. There's a gym, a few houses, and a center. Let's take a look around.

-Granite Cave-

There's a cave just outside of town.

Seems like a good place to train.

I can't relive the Rustboro Gym incident.

I caught a Makuhita, "Sentoumaru" (Lv.8) but he was quickly defeated by another, stronger Makuhita with a scar on his face. RIP Sentoumaru (Lv.8)

Just my luck. I couldn't let it kill anyone else. I had to run away.

I made it all the way through the cave, in the dark, to a dead end.

To my surprise, there was someone else in there! He was dressed quite nicely for cave spelunking.

He introduced himself as Steven and that he liked rare stones. Steven? Stone? Why does that sound familiar.

No sooner did he excuse himself did I realize who he was. "Wait!"

I chased after him, but I was stopped by an old foe. The scarred Makuhita. Damn.

He claimed his second victim from my party. RIP Apoo (Lv.14)

I called upon Zoro and Yosaku to fight him, but he was too strong. When I thought I was about to lose my best friends, something amazing happened. They evolved! After that, the Makuhita was easily defeated.

I sunk to the ground in disbelief. My Pokemon are so cool! I began to hear clapping.

Steven walked up to me and congratulated me, saying something about how he saw something special in me. If nothing else, I had astronomical luck and my Pokemon really trusted in me. "I can tell you care about them a lot."

I told him about the letter and he thanked me. He didn't seem surprised. Its as if he knew I was coming.

He gave me another special move for my Pokemon. "But I don't have anything with win...wings." He was gone.

I made my way out of the cave. I still don't think I'm ready for the gym in this town. But here goes.

-Dewford Gym-

It's dark in here. The first trainer had a Pokemon I've never seen. A Meditite. It didn't give Coby too much trouble.

The next few trainers didn't either.

At the end of the gym was a young man, the same age as Roxanne. How does one get to be a Gym Leader? Norman seems about the right age, but these are just kids! Same age as me.

He has two Pokemon, fighting type, just like the underlings in his gym. I have to admit, I'm afraid.

Zoro is strong and Coby is quick, but are they enough to take out his guys? I can't rely on Yosaku. He's weak to fighting attacks. I can't let him be killed.

Here goes everything.

Brawly, like his underlings, uses fighting type Pokemon.

So why was I so surprised to see him use a Makuhita? Was it because of what all transpired in the cave?

No! I can't think on that right now. I have to focus on the task at hand. Coby fared well against the fighting types in Granite cave, so I'll use him. But I have to be careful. Brawly is a kid, but like Roxanne, he's the top of his class.

I use dirtier tactics than I normally enjoy.

A couple of Sand-Attacks and a Harden here or there and Coby is able to keep up with his fat blob of a fighter.

My enemy has a nasty habit of Bulking Up every few turns. Whenever he does, I know the next hit is going to be even harder.

It's down to the wire and I can't send out Yosaku. He and Zoro would take too hard of hits from him. I have to stick with Coby. Makuhita aims another hit... it lands, but something amazing happens:

Instead of hitting Coby, he hit something else... a double? Nincada had evolved into Ninjask!

I had studied up on the evolutions of my Pokemon and knew that Ninjask was exponentially more powerful than Nincada, but I never commanded it to use Double Team. Besides, this double... it was no illusion.

Ninjask had left its exoskeleton on the ground where it was once a Nincada. But the remaining shell... was alive!?

It began to rise into the air, of its own free will. "What the hell?" Brawly's words mimicked my own thoughts.

The shell slowly hovered over to Makuhita, who was paralyzed with fear.

The creature stopped. Seconds seemed like minutes.

Suddenly, a piercing screech filled the gym. I covered my ears in reflexive response. It wasn't enough.

Brawly and Makuhita both covered their ears trying to negate the horrible noise. I thought I saw one of the other trainers in the gym faint.

Coby sped in front of me and let out his own screech. It was more focused and effectively drowned the sound of his former shell.

The creature then turned and seemed to look straight at me. At that moment, I connected with it.

It wasn't just a discarded skeleton. It was a Pokemon all its own. What a strange phenomenon.

I returned Coby to his ball and looked back at the creature. "Brook" (Lv.20) a sly smile played across my lips.

"Fury Swipes." In an instant, the creature was behind Makuhita. I didn't even see it move!

Makuhita fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Brawly returned his Pokemon. But the fight wasn't over.

"Machop!" He called out his second Pokemon. "Bulk Up." Machop's muscles bulged under his taut flesh.

"Brook. Screech!" It didn't respond. "Brook?"

"Now is our chance!" Brawly commanded, "Machop, Karate Chop!" Machop sped forward and landed a strike dead-onto Brook.

The floating skeleton didn't move a centimeter. Brawly and Machop matched expressions of disbelief.

It was then that Brook let out his screech again. This time, more focused than before. It didn't affect anyone but Machop this time.

"Machop!" Brawly called as his humanoid creature attempted to shake off the noise. "Seismic Toss!"

Machop fought through the noise and grasped Brook around his middle. He spun Brook wildly, causing him to cease his screeching. Machop then jumped and hurled Brook to the ground.

Like before, however, the attack was ineffective. Brook simply righted himself and disregarded the impact entirely.

I didn't understand all that was going on, but I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this.

"Fury Swipes!" Same as before, Brook decimated his opponent with great speed!

Machop fell to the ground and was immediately called to his Pokeball.

"Whew." Brawly walked down from his platform. "That was intense." He came right up to me, bypassing the creature.

"I had heard rumors of Nincada's exoskeleton coming to life and battling on its own. I had no idea it was so powerful!"

He gave me the Knuckle Badge and the Technique Bulk Up. That might come in handy in the future.

He asked me to come with him and we called the Professor.

"Shedinja." Birch explained the nature of the creature.

Very few things could even touch it, but if anything ever connected, Shedinja would die instantly.

That's why there's so little knowledge on the Pokemon. Its a shame. I don't want him to die.

Birch asked if I would send Brook to him for studying. He promised not to cause it any harm.

I, of course, agreed. I wasn't going to let it battle anymore if it might die without any notice.

Brawly congratulated me again and I went on my way.

Briny was waiting for me at the docks to set sail for Slateport.

"So, you won then." He smiled approvingly.

I was about to ask how he already knew, but then I remember how freakishly fast news seemed to travel in this town.

"Lets just get the hell out of here."

-Slateport City-

Another big city. I don't know why, I just like bigger cities better. Maybe there's a part of me repressing my dislike of small towns? Who am I kidding. Its not repressed. I'm fully aware of that particular dislike.

I defeat a few small-timers outside the city then head straight for the shipyard to hand over the package from Steven's dad. Unfortunately, the Captain isn't around. I guess I have to go find him.

On my way out, holy crap, red riding hoods everywhere. I stop in my tracks, but they don't seem to notice me.

I wonder if the one I fought before was in that crowd.

One by one, they entered a building I soon found out was the museum.

I decided, against my better judgment, to follow them.

I entered the museum and immediately regretted my decision.

There he was. The same hood I had fought twice before. He wore the same outfit as everyone else, but I never forget a face.

My teeth clenched and I reached for a Pokeball. Too late, he saw me.

He dashed toward me and before I had time to react, had his hands on my shoulders. He looked straight in my eyes.

"Hey. Remember me? I was that guy you thumped before." He seemed different.

"I feel like you should have this." He smiled and handed me a Technical Machine. Just like the gym leaders and that girl.

Then, before I could say anything he was gone. Out the door. "...the hell?" A note was attached. This move will earn you more items than ever. Well, Yosaku likes finding items, so I guess I'll give this to him.

I edge through the rest of the museum. The other hoods don't seem to pay any attention to me.

I don't notice their shifting eyes watching my every move. I decide to explore upstairs.

There's a man in a white lab coat. 'Stern' plays across his name tag. I explain my position and he receives the goods. He asks me to follow him, but as we turn to go out the door, we're stopped by two hoods.

Zoro makes quick work of them. That technique Roxanne taught him is getting some liberal use.

After their swift defeat, another man shows up. He is dressed in red, but no hood.

He introduces himself as Maxie of Team Magma. Apparently that's the name these hoods go by.

He rattles off some stuff about his plan and disappears. I'm not interested in the slightest.

Stern thanks me and rushes off with the parts. How rude.

Whatever, now that I'm free of duties, I can actually get on with my travels.

-Route 110-

I caught a Minun "Mozu" (Lv.13) because it was cute. I don't know why I thought of May when I did it. I'm sure as hell not going soft. I sent it to Birch anyway so I wouldn't dwell on it too much.

There's a strange house out here in the middle of nowhere overlooked by a cycling road.

I don't have a bike so I can't go on the road, so I went to the house instead.

There was a sign inviting me to enter and a strange man hiding under a table.

He saw me looking at him and jumped out, congratulating me and inviting me to enter further into his house.

Creepy. I turn around and walk out.

I decide to take a walk under the cycling road. I can hear the sounds of the cyclists above.

This place is peaceful.

Speaking of May... there she is! She sees me and before I can talk, she pulls out a Pokeball to fight?

Why would she want to fight!? I can't bring myself to kill her Pokemon.

She has a Wailmer. It puts up a hell of a fight. Coby certainly isn't a match, but Zoro is.

Her Sanji had evolved into Combusken; Zoro couldn't hold up against it this time. Good thing I have Yosaku.

She has a Shroomish... I'm good with Yosaku.

She congratulates me on a well-rounded team. I don't know what she's talking about, but she agrees to chat later.

We part ways and my mind wont shut up. Thoughts like that are just going to make this journey all the harder.

-Mauville City-

This is a moderate-sized city. Main attraction: Bike shop.

All I do is tell the owner I'm from Littleroot and he gives me a bike for free. Nice guy.

I mean, his name is plastered all over everything, including the bike so its like giving himself free advertising.

I don't care. I'm grateful for the gift. Let's hit that cycling road now!

Yosaku hasn't had much action lately, so I let him run with me on the path. What is it with Cyclists and Magnemites?

[MY THIGHS ARE LIKE ROCKS!]

Back in Mauville, I realize I should have paid more attention to all those Magnemites.

The gym in this town is of the electric variety. I think I need to train more. Electric types hit hard and fast.

Speaking of the gym, there is a familiar face at the entrance. Wally, the sickly child wants to challenge it, but his dad wont let him. He asks me for a battle to prove himself to his dad.

I hate to do it, but Coby defeats his Ralts in one hit. I can't let him go in there to have his Pokemon killed by a gym leader. His dad thanks me and invites me to their home in Verdanturf. I suppose I can make a quick detour as long as I get some training in as well.

I ran into an Illumise on the way. She was a complete hard-ass and put up quite the fight. I decided to catch her.

"Hina" (Lv.14) Hopefully she'll survive longer than Conis.

[THE AIR IS TASTY HERE!]

-Verdanturf Town-

Its not a long walk and I quite enjoy it.

In the town, I visit Wally and his parents. They tell me about their daughter.

There's also a contest hall here. I saw one before, but it didn't interest me.

I'm in the sort of mood today where I might just enter.

Of course, I'm going to go with my main man, Zoro. And of course, he takes the Ribbon.

It was a fun day. I decide to have all my Pokemon out of their balls to watch the contest and on my way out, a nice lady teaches Hina how to be more ladylike.

Back in Mauville, I decide to hit the gym. I'm not ready to fight Wattson, or whatever his name is, yet.

I just want to test the mettle of his underlings.

Its a much smaller gym than I imagined, about the size of a living room. But there are electric wires everywhere.

The first guy is pretty tough, but Hina and Yosaku take him down.

If the trend stays, though, I'm nowhere near ready for the gym leader.

I ask around town and learn of a family of Pokemon trainers just north of here.

-Route 111-

The Winstrates are said to be the toughest trainers in the area. Of course I'm going to give it a shot.

I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

It went by so fast and they were so... ruthless.

They challenged me, one after the other, forcing me to fight without any rest between. Of course Hina didn't make it. (RIP Lv.20)

I didn't expect Zoro to fall though.

He was so brave and fought so valiantly. He had avenged Hina by defeating Father Winstrate. He then took it upon himself to defeat the rest of the family, too. But they were crafty. It was as if they were Pokemon killers, designed to lure in unsuspecting trainers and take them by surprise. Mother Winstrate paralyzed him with her Roselia.

Daughter Winstrate wore him down further with her Marill. Grandma Winstrate...

Who would have thought a little old lady would be so cruel. Her Meditite had killed before, I could sense it.

In a flash, it had sprung up, smashing through Zoro's already weakened attacks, straight to his skull.

He was dead before he hit the ground. RIP Zoro. (Lv.26)

In a rage, I called Coby to avenge him. Fighting types are his specialty after all.

By her reaction, I don't think Grandma Winstrate had ever been defeated so quickly. 'Fury Cutter' is such an appropriate name for a move.

Upon her Meditite's demise, she told me about her son. He was stronger than all four of them, combined.

She told me she wouldn't be surprised if he had defeated the Elite Four and become the Champion, already.

The E4 were even stronger than gym leaders. I didn't care though. This journey was over.

I couldn't bear Zoro's death. I ran. I ran toward the Desert.

When I reached a dead-end, I collapsed. I put Zoro and Hina's Pokeball's out in front of me.

First Conis, then Apoo and Sentoumaru, now these. I was a terrible trainer.

I had killed as many Pokemon as I had still alive. Johnny and Yosaku mourned their friend's death.

Coby preferred to stay by me. It was a bit comforting to know my Pokemon still respected me, after I let their comrades die.

We stayed the night in the wilderness. There was nowhere else to go.

I didn't sleep well that night. Coby stayed up as well. Johnny and Yosaku were able to sleep as far as I know.

Morning came all too soon. In retrospect, I assume I could have gone back to Verdanturf. Wally's family probably would have put me up for the night. I don't regret it though. I needed the night air to clear my head.

I took the next day to clear my head. No training. No battles. I just enjoyed my time with my remaining Pokemon.

I even took my Pokemon back from Birch. I only have six in all, now. They're such wonderful creatures.

While they mourn the loss of their comrades, they never seem to lose their own spirit.

I think the true nature of Pokemon is to fight. Maybe it has been wrong of me to try to protect them.

My hesitance has caused their misfortune.

I decide I cannot do this on my own. I need a mentor. Norman? No. He has too much faith that I can do it on my own.

No need to let him down just yet. Plus I would feel strange asking him.

No, I need someone else. But that can wait. First...

-Mauville Gym-

I marched straight through the gym. I had a confidence like none I had ever felt. I plowed through Wattson's underlings and straight up to him.

Mozu gave his Pokemon a quick Paralyzing (just because they were electric didn't make them immune) and Yosaku gave them a quick beating. Brook jumped in to absorb some attacks, but I soon found he wasn't immune to paralysis or confusion.

It was Coby who switched in for the final hit. Wattson's electric types were tough, but they were no match for the combined efforts of my friends.

He seemed in awfully good spirits for losing. He congratulated me, like the others had. Gym leaders are a whole different style of Pokemon trainer.

I spoke with him about my idea to find a mentor and he agreed that it might be a good idea.

However, if I chose the wrong mentor, the result could end up being more harmful than if I had gone without.

I thanked him for his time. Before I went on my way, he taught me the technique called Shock Wave.

It would never miss. The gym leaders were giving me some helpful advice. Perhaps I better start taking it.

Out of the gym, Johnny was proving to have a different kind of strength. He was by no means, a battler. But he was a master of finding the most direct path to an area. He would cut bushes blocking the way that I didn't notice. He could also break rocks that were in the way. We went back to Verdanturf to help clear the tunnel of rocks.

Our hard work paid off in that the Rusturf Tunnel was now an accessible pathway. Also, Wally's cousin could see her boyfriend more often now. To thank Johnny for his hard work, he taught him how to move boulders to aid in his path-finding skills.

The only way to go now was North. I had to find someone worthy of being my mentor.

North of Mauville is a desert, full of sandstorms. It is impossible to navigate and I don't last 2 yards.

West of the desert is Mt. Chimney. I take the path up to the cable cars and who should I find, but the red riding hoods.

Rather, they want to be called Team Magma, if I recall correctly. They are blocking the path to the easy way up and I don't feel like picking a fight just yet. I'll take the path less traveled and hone my spelunking skills.

Inside Mt. Chimney, I catch a Torkoal, "Smoker" (Lv.15) which is good because I've been needing a little firepower.

There was also a large boulder. This was Johnny's chance to test his new skill.

After several minutes of trying, we had to give up. The boulder wasn't budging an inch.

It's just too much for the little Zigzagoon. I comfort him and we decide to exit the mountain. We'll try again another day.

-Route 112-

Outside, I catch a Numel, "Eyelashes" (Lv.15) I had always heard that Fire Pokemon were fast, but they're unusually laid back in this region. Ain't nothinwrong with that, though. Eyelashes and Smoker just want to relax, and I'm fine with that.

Eyelashes seems to have a thing for Mozu, but she doesn't seem to mind.

This route spits out on the other side of the desert. The area interests me, but I can't go in just yet.

Northeast is where the soot from Mt. Chimney's volcano falls.

-Route 113-

This place is full of little dizzy rabbits called Spindas. I decide to catch one, "Gonbe" (Lv.14)

Also, there's a man who will make items out of soot. All he needs is for me to collect it for him.

I'm not in a hurry and I'd like to see what he can make.

He ends up giving me a special flute, made to wake Pokemon up at a single note.

-Fallarbor Town-

To the west is Fallarbor Town. Another dinky little village. Nothing much of interest to report, but a few surprisingly helpful townspeople. One gave my Pokemon the ability to dig holes. one gave them the ability to scare off opponents. One was obsessed with fossils. One wasn't a resident of Fallarbor at all. Her name was Lanette and she helped develop the system for Pokemon storage. She said she lived just on the outskirts of town, but her house was difficult to find. Luckily, I had an expert pathfinder on my team.

-Route 114-

Perhaps she didn't want to be found. When I entered, the house was a mess. How ironic. The woman solely responsible for the organization program for others was so unorganized. She asked that I keep this place a secret. It was a bit laughable, but I decided to agree. Disclosing her location wouldn't do me any good. Before I left, I asked her if she knew any candidates to be my mentor.

She mentioned that she knew of one, but she didn't know where he was. She assured me we would cross paths, however, if we hadn't already. I didn't know what she meant, but there was no more help here. Or so I thought.

Outside her house was standing a small creature. He looked right at me.

"Sup?"

"Ahhh!" I jumped a bit. It was obviously a Pokemon, but it spoke to me! "Who.. are you?"

"I am Kumadori." (Lv.18) I looked around a bit, to see if this was some kind of prank.

He was a small creature, bipedal. Brown with a pointy nose and a leaf growing out of his head.

He was a Nuzleaf. He walked right up to me and circled me, judging me. "So.. wha-"

"Shhh." he silenced me. Another few seconds, and he was in front of me again, hands behind his back.

"So, you're looking for a mentor..."

We spoke for a while. I was never quite sure what he was getting at.

Before I could get any explanations, he told me to follow him.

-Meteor Falls-

He led me to Meteor Falls, inside which, something was going down.

Team Magma was there, with a man in a white lab coat. Kumadori and I stayed out of sight.

Some more hoods showed up. However, this gang was wearing blue. Also, they weren't really hoods as some sort of wannabe pirate chain-gang. They wore blue headbands with skulls on them and striped shirts.

They were led by a bearded gentleman and directly confronted Team Magma.

The reds called them by the name Team Aqua. What idiots. The confrontation ended with the Reds running out the way I came in.

They didn't see me but the Blues did. Beard-o introduced himself as Archie, then he ran off after Team Magma.

The lab coat was Professor Cozmo. I had heard of him in Fallarbor. He mentioned a meteorite he had been researching.

"Now it will never be mine." He seemed disturbed, in more ways than one.

I was going to shrug the whole thing off and exit the other way, but Kumadori insisted I go on after them. Something about my training. I never agreed for him to be my mentor, I mean he's half my size! But like always, I agreed because I had nothing better to do. Besides, maybe this would actually go somewhere.

Kumadori and I made our way back through Mt. Chimney to the cable car. That's where I remember seeing the Reds last.

We went up. Up, up, up, miles up, until we reached the very top.

The air is very thin up here. Its hard to breathe. The soot filling the air isn't helping.

Also, Reds and Blues everywhere. Fighting. Looks like my intuition was right on. Damn.

Archie was taking on several Magmas at once. He implored me to help stop Team Magma.

Kumadori and I took them all on. He's quite the fighter, even against Fire types, to whom he is weak.

He has such a unique was of fighting, but at times he still needed my help. He enjoys Faking Out the enemy and getting in a few free hits while they are stunned. I used my knowledge from Fallarbor to teach him to Dig, causing his opponents even more grief. It was quite the fray.

Then, Maxie. The leader of the Red Hoods. He was different than the others.

While his followers were simply brawlers, Maxie actually had a passion. He was an experienced battler.

He used this experience to test my very understanding of Pokemon. Kumadori wasn't enough this time.

His Mightyena was far stronger and even Kumadori was Intimidated. Luckily, I had other friends on whom to rely.

Yosaku matched his Mightyena hit for hit, overcoming him with brute force.

When Maxie switched to Golbat, and Yosaku couldn't keep up, I switched to Mozu.

Mozu is such a happy little fighter. She takes hits in stride and strikes right back.

Her Sparks clipped Golbat's wings quite effectively.

But Maxie did not find her spark quite so amusing. He called out a Camerupt and before I could react... he silenced her forever.

Kumadori and Yosaku, though both injured, came to my aid to avenge her. Kumadori demanded that I stay focused.

Together, we were able to defeat Maxie.

But it had happened again. I had lost another.

Archie approached me as I lifted Mozu into my arms. "You did it! You thwarted Team Mag-"

"Shut up!" I snapped. "Don't you get it!? Is this some kind of game to you!?"

He obeyed. He had shut up. "I just lost one of my friends!"

He crossed his arms. He looked at me as if I was an idiot. "Friends?"

I looked up at him, "Don't act like I'm some sort of hero for your stupid gang war. I don't give a Rattata's ass for this fight. I never did any of it to help you. Now get the hell out of my sight."

He nodded and left, leaving me alone on the volcano top.

Yosaku and Kumadori were there, though. They had witnessed Mozu's demise. They both looked on in reverence.

"Its not your fault, you know." Kumadori spoke.

"What?" I looked over to him, stifling the tears that had run so many times before.

"You act like this is your fault. You also act as if you've lost someone before."

I hid nothing. I told him of my entire journey, from setting out from Littleroot.

I told him of the ones that came before, Conis, Sentoumaru, Apoo, Hina... Zoro. My best friend.

He nodded in understanding. He asked me why I blamed myself. What a stupid question.

If it wasn't for me, they would still be alive. "Possibly." He spoke calmly, so opposite his fighting style.

"But you didn't kill them." He explained that this was everyone's choice when they became a Pokemon trainer.

Every single person had to make the choice to hold their trusted companions' lives in their hands.

There were thousands of Pokemon trainers out there, but the truly great ones were the ones that didn't give up.

They got stronger, they fought harder, for the sake of their losses. Giving up would only bring disgrace to the dead.

"I never said I was giving up." He nodded. "Good. Because you have a great talent and I would hate to see it wasted."

We did what needed to be done. We buried Mozu back in the grassy forest, far from Mt. Chimney.

-Jagged Pass-

I wanted to take another day off, but Kumadori insisted that I start my training immediately.

We stayed on Mt. Chimney, training on its Jagged Pass. I caught a Machop because I remember how strong Brawly's was.

I even taught "J. Burgess" (Lv.19) how to Bulk Up like Brawly's.

After training there for a day, Kumadori said he wanted to take me for a night of relaxation.

-Lavaridge Town-

It was full of old people, but they had the only hot spring in the area. It was wonderful. My Pokemon enjoyed it, too, even Smoker. I noticed something else in this town as well.. a gym.

Kumadori noticed my interest in it and assured me that I would be challenging it soon enough, but that it was not time yet.

Upon getting out of the springs, an old woman addressed me. She noted how I got along with my Pokemon and presented me with an egg. She didn't tell me what was inside it, but said she wanted to entrust it to me. She said it would be better off in my hands. I wasn't sure if that was the wisest decision, but I took it anyway. I slept unusually calm that night.

Training began again the next day and under Kumadori's tutelage, we all became stronger.

A lot seemed to happen in a very short time. J. Burgess evolved into Machoke, "Genzo" a Wynaut, hatched from the egg that the old lady gave me (Lv.5), and all of my friends learned new techniques for battling.

Soon, it was time to challenge the Lavaridge gym.

-Lavaridge Gym-

This place was blatantly a Fire-type Gym. As such, I couldn't bring along Brook and I would have to rely very seldom on Coby.

Smoker, Burgess, and Yosaku would have to be my main fighters this time around.

The gym was steamy. They had diverted some of the spring water into the gym and there were several puddles around.

I tread cautiously. Despite my care, I was still startled when a trainer emerged from one of the puddles with a battle cry.

These gym members used the element of surprise to startle their challengers into making mistakes.

It worked. Reflexively, I sent out Coby. Luckily enough, our training had paid off and he easily defeated my attacker's team.

This was a strange gym and in order to advance, one had to navigate the water ways to reach the gym leader.

My Pokemon proved themselves several times over in this gym. Kumadori was especially crafty against his natural enemies.

Without breaking a sweat (besides the sweat that already coated our bodies thanks to the steam) we reached the gym leader.

Like the others, she was young. She was also pretty cute.

"Puny Trainer!" [what?]

"I have been entrusted...um.." [go on]

"I mean.. with the skills I inherited from my grandfather I... I'm gonna win."

I raised an eyebrow. "Shutupjustfightalready!" she blushed red, though it could have just been the heat.

Kumadori took out her first Slugma with such ease. His signature fighting style was undefeated.

He slapped the magma slug around a bit before going underground.

"Sunny Day!" Before digging up and obliterating the creature, Slugma had caused the sun to shine extra brightly through the windows. It looks as if the ability manipulates the atmosphere to make the air act like a magnifying glass.

It became even hotter.

Flannery sent out another Slugma. Kumadori couldn't Fake this one out. He dug underground to dodge it's attack, but the creature predicted his movements. It fired a Flamethrower at the ground right where Kumadori came up.

Kumadori tore through the flames, hitting Slugma for massive damage, but his flesh was scorched in the process.

"Kumadori!" I called him back to his Pokeball just in time. J. Burgess took his place, enacting his Revenge all over Flannery's remaining Pokemon.

"Thank you." Flannery stepped down from her platform, walking over to me.

"I noticed something in you. You're very true to yourself. Here I was trying to be someone I'm not while you, my first challenger in weeks, defeated me easily. I need to take some time to find myself. Thank you for showing me this."

I smiled and left the gym. I had won and I didn't lose a single friend in the process. I felt great.

Outside, I ran into May. She congratulated me and gave me a gift: a set of Goggles. She said I could use them to navigate the desert. She seemed in a hurry to get to the hot springs so I let her go on her way.

Before heading off to the Desert, I had promised to let Johnny take another crack at the boulder inside Mt. Chimney.

We got there and I released him. He set himself up and attempted again to move the rock. Again, it didn't budge.

"It's fine, Johnny. We can come back again." He turned and barked at me. He refused to give up.

He tried for minutes more. I offered to help him or get Burgess to help, but Johnny refused.

Then, something amazing happened. Without any battle experience, he began to evolve.

Like Yosaku had done before him, he turned into a Linoone. As he grew, the boulder began to move.

First an inch, then a foot, then Johnny had enough power to push the boulder at his will!

When it was out of the way, he moved to do what he did best: He went treasure hunting.

-The Desert (Route 111 Reprise)-

Johnny was on a roll. As such, I felt it was time to go Fossil hunting. I donned my newly acquired Goggles and we headed toward the desert. They were easier to find than I imagined, but that's Johnny for you. We followed the north wall until we reached a spot of sinking sand. There were actually two fossils there, but as I reached for one, the other broke off and fell deep into the vortex. I wasn't stupid or brave enough to go after it. Nor was I greedy.

I took the fossil to the fossil maniac in Fallarbor, who in turn, told me to take it to Devon.

I left it with them for research before returning to the desert.

There was plenty more stuff to be found and we even ran into a few other trainers in there.

They were all treasure hunting without much luck. They didn't have a skilled pathfinder/treasure hunter on their side.

My Pokemon, however, did not enjoy the sandstorm going on within the desert. Not only did it reduce visibility, but it was painful, too.

Despite the numerous amount of Trainers, there weren't many Pokemon.

I'm not surprised, who would want to live in a place like this?

I put it out of my mind and chalked it up to the harsh environment. However, just as I was about to call it a day, I came across a creature who DID seem to enjoy the desert. A small, rust-colored thing with a large head and huge jaws.

It began following Johnny and I. We would take a few steps... it would take a few steps.

When we stopped, it stopped. I turned around to face it and it didn't startle. So I challenged it to a battle.

I caught the little Trapinch, "Tashigi" (Lv.20) She didn't put up a huge fight. I think she WANTED to get out of here.

Can't say I blame her. Before we got out, though, we discovered one more thing: A giant solid rock surrounded by six smaller rocks, all jutting up from the sand. Part of the rock-face was flat, as if there was supposed to be a door there.

We couldn't figure how to open it though, but I could feel like I would be back soon.

We retrieved the fossil from Devon soon after. Except it wasn't a fossil anymore. They had successfully revived a prehistoric Lileep. "Crocus" (Lv.20)

It was a marvelous day.

We slept well that night and I made a promise to all of my Pokemon, past and present, that we would all only get stronger.

The next day, I woke up to find I wasn't sure where to go. I spent some time training with Kumadori.

He analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of my other Pokemon.

Coby was fast, but didn't hit very hard. He just needed better techniques.

Smoker hit hard, but was slow. He is a Torkoal after all.

Burgess and Yosaku were very strong and had trained well to hone their power under Kumadori.

The newest member, Tashigi, wanted to be strong, but she was clumsy. Her front-heaviness got in the way of her battling.

She also didn't seem to see very well. I gave her some Blackglasses I found a while back and her vision seemed to improve.

I also let her watch some of my other battles with my more experienced fighters so she could learn my battling style.

She's a steady learner, not quick. But that's fine.

I've noticed I'm a bit less lazy than when I started. I think this journey has been good for me.

I've made a lot of friends, I've had a lot of experiences. I already have four badges. I think there's 8 in all.

During a meal, Kumadori began to ask me about my life before moving here. I told him about my mom and us moving her to be close to Norman... Norman!

I hadn't spoken to him since back before all this happened. I wonder what he's thinking or if he's heard anything about me.

That's strange. Normally, I wouldn't care about such things, but now... I really want to go challenge him.

I want to show him how far I've come.

And so, we set out. We headed back toward Petalburg City, home of the Petalburg Gym: Gym Leader: Norman, my adoptive father.

-Petalburg Gym-

Norman's gym seems to be set up specifically as a test for me.

There are several rooms where the trainers within will specialize in different tactics.

There are seven rooms and a trainer needs only to beat three in a row to get to Norman.

That isn't enough for me, I need to challenge all five to prove to him and myself that I'm ready for anything.

The first room is the Speed Room. Nobody bests Coby in Speed.

He uses a Delcatty and gives it some sort of medicine called X Speed. Supplements? In battle?

That seems wrong to me. Unfortunately for him, Coby's natural ability makes him much faster than his opponent, even with her supplement. Delcatty is easily defeated.

The next room is called the Zero Reduction Room.

The enemy's Pokemon will not be able to have their stats reduced.

Doesn't bother me. Kumadori doesn't waste time with such tactics. Even so, the opponent's Linoone puts up quite a fight.

Kumadori needs to rest and I can't use him for the rest of the gym challenge.

Strength room. That's pretty self-explanatory.

I'll just pit Strength against a super Defense.

Smoker takes all of Zangoose's hits in stride. He doesn't even flinch and matches the enemy's power with his own Fiery spirit.

Accuracy Room.

It is apparent to me that every trainer in this gym is supplementing their Pokemon with steroids or some crap.

I will prove to them all that I can beat them without such tactics.

Also, I don't care how accurate your Pokemon are if your attacks have no effect.

This trainer also has a Delcatty and she supplements its Accuracy.

Brook welcomes this with no problems. Her attacks never cause a single dent.

She tries to Sing him to sleep, but his own Screeches drown out her efforts.

Recovery Room.

I'm not sure what the trainer was going to do in this battle. J. Burgess took down his Linoone in one hit.

One-Hit Kill Room.

Burgess was on a roll, so I kept him in for this one.

The opponent gave his Zangoose some sort of rage hormone. His attack on Burgess could have been deadly.

Luckily, Kumadori's training with Burgess taught him how to take a hit lightly if evasion wasn't an option.

He enacted his swift Revenge on the enemy. Unfortunately, Burgess was too weak to take on Norman after that.

As such, I'm down to 4.

Defense Room.

I already know how to get past this one: Don't use any physical attacks.

Smoker comes in handy again with his Flamethrower.

Norman.

There he is. It's been so long since I've seen him. However, he doesn't seem surprised that I've returned.

He comments on my badges and tells me he is proud. However, as a gym leader, he will not hold back.

Good. I would hate him forever if he did.

His Pokemon are strange. His first one is lazy and doesn't listen to him half the time. It just.. loafs around.

Yosaku gives it a good beating, but a single hit from it sends him flying. His collision with the wall produced a horrific *crack*. His leg. He had taken the force of the impact directly into his leg.

"Yosaku!" The attack it used... Facade. I had never heard of it.

I called Coby to come in and finish off his Slaking before it could do any more damage.

I was happy to be finished with the beast, when...

"Go, Slaking." He called out another one. I let Coby speed around and distract it while I tried to think.

As they were battling, I noticed something. Norman's Slakings were strangely methodical in their laziness.

They loafed around EXACTLY half the time. Every other command, to be precise. Then it hit me; I knew how to win.

"Smoker, front and center." I recalled Coby and replaced him with my fire tortoise who had fought so well in this battle.

"Take it out, Slaking." The beast just laid down, picking its nose, ignoring his trainer as I predicted it would.

"Flamethrower." Smoker inhaled deeply and let out a furious stream of fire at the enemy.

"Alright, Slaking. Use Facade."

"Smoker, Protect." Slaking rushed forward, preparing its attack, but was met by an impenetrable force-field.

It was simple. I would attack on the turns that Slacking was lazy, and Protect on the turns that it attacked.

The second Slaking was no match for Smoker.

"Very good, so you figured out my Slaking's weakness. You won't be so lucky with this one. Vigoroth!"

He released his Pokemon to the battlefield. Vigoroth was the unevolved form of Slaking.. it wasn't as strong as its evolved form, but it also lacked his laziness. It fought Smoker for a while, but it was apparent to me that my Torkoal couldn't keep up with this youngster's speed. "Return."

Smoker may not have won, but it still weakened the enemy. "Coby, time to finish up."

Norman wanted speed, I could give him speed. Coby and I also had a new trick up our sleeve, courtesy of Kumadori's training.

"Double Team!" Coby sped around the room, leaving images of himself, mirages almost. Soon there was no way to tell which was the real one. But I knew. "Swords Dance." The doubles copied his movements and all of them began flying in a spiral pattern, building necessary momentum.

Vigoroth, even with his amazing speed and power, couldn't keep up.

However, Norman didn't seem worried. He had a trick of his own. "Faint Attack."

Vigoroth suddenly disappeared, reappearing right above the real Ninjask and swatting him to the ground.

The attack was weak, but deadly accurate. No matter, my plan had been enacted. Coby's flight pattern had given him time to build up power. "Slash!" Coby's newest attack. He flew directly at Vigoroth, keeping with the Swords Dance pattern and left a huge gash, right across Vigoroth's torso. Norman returned his Pokemon.

"Wow." Unlike his demeanor the entire battle, Norman seemed truly impressed now.

He told me that he was disappointed as a gym leader, but as a father, he couldn't be more proud.

"Thanks, Norman." I actually had a good time. I didn't lose any of my friends and I didn't feel like Norman had held back, either.

We had our first true bonding experience. He congratulated me and told me to go visit Wally's parents next door.

I had something to take care of first.

I took my Pokemon to the Pokemon center. They said they could heal my Pokemon to full health except for Yosaku's broken leg.

I had feared as much. I called Professor Birch and told him my situation. He said that he and his team would look after Yosaku for me as well as give it medical attention. He sent for my mom and we talked a while further. He told me I was making the whole town proud. He told me that my other Pokemon were doing well, too. May wasn't around, but I had seen her recently enough.

My mom showed up on the screen and echoed everything Birch had told me. I told her I was going to come to visit soon and we could talk more.

Before my trip home, I spoke to Wally's parents. Apparently Wally ran off on his own, but they weren't too worried.

He had gotten stronger as well. As thanks, they taught Johnny how to swim. Not only that, but he was strong enough now to tow me along in the water! The way home was sure to be filled with exploration. Johnny would love it!

Before leaving Petalburg, I caught a Marill, "Nojiko" (Lv.12) I wanted to give it to my mom as a present.

She had told me, before I was a Pokemon trainer, that she had wanted a water type Pokemon.

She was super excited when I presented it to her. She had a gift for me as well. A lucky Amulet Coin.

I spent the night in my old room before beginning my journey anew the next day.

Being in my hometown brought back memories of the start of my journey. As such, I decided to take Magellan from Prof. Birch and train him up a bit. Knowing how to actually train Pokemon was a plus and before long, Magellan had evolved into a Cascoon and further, into a Dustox.

-Route 115-

Our water exploration brought us to a route we couldn't access before. It had a few strong trainers and a flock of Swablu.

I caught one out of curiosity. "Kalifa" (Lv.25)

-New Mauville-

I reached Mauville City much faster than I had before. It helped that I had cleared the Rusturf Tunnel of rocks that had been blocking the path. Wattson was standing outside in the middle of the city, looking confused.

He asked me to go underground, to the New Mauville generator and switch it off.

Something was going haywire and it is getting dangerous.

The place was full of electric Pokemon. I caught a Voltorb, "Mr.5" in order to study it.

I had fought with them before, but never caught one. I knew they were weak to Ground attacks so Tashigi got a nice workout.

This place had numerous unnecessary door switches on the ground. What was the point? Furthermore, what is Wattson's fetish with Floor Switches. He had them in his gym and they were in here, too.

Was this going to have been his gym and then he gave up?

I finally reached the generator, but there was no visible switch on it.

However, there WAS a huge red switch ON THE GROUND in front of it. I face-palmed a bit and stepped on the switch.

The generator shut down.

It was only then that I began to think about my actions.

I just accepted this mission without question. I guess it's okay to trust a gym leader, especially one as jolly as Wattson, but still.

What if the power to the whole city was shut off because of me?

What if what I did was irreversible?

What if I just single-handedly brought down the entire Hoenn economy!?

I didn't really care one way or the other; Wattson gave me a powerful electric technique to teach my Pokemon.

I decided to to a bit more exploring of the water areas of the placed I'd already been.

I went back to the place that Mr. Briney first picked me up. I wonder how he is.

Last I checked, he was lounging on the beach at Slateport. I'll Surf around and meet him there.

-Route 105-

While I was exploring south of Rustboro, I came across another strange rock. Strange in that is was identical to the one in the desert. Literally Identical. And identical to the first one, there was what looked like an entrance, but no way in.

Johnny and Kumadori even dug in the sand to see if there was anything under the surface.

There wasn't. As I was leaving, though, something happened in Tashigi. She began to change. She molted and left her top-heavy shell. She emerged a beautiful winged Vibrava. What was this thing?

It made a bit of sense: I had found Tashigi near the first monument, and near the second one, she evolved.

Does this mean there is another, or even more? My exploration sense was tingling something fierce.

Unfortunately, there were no more clues in the area. We would have to wait to see if any leads popped up.

Note: After evolving, Tashigi no longer needed the aid of glasses to see.

I stopped off in Dewford for a quick rest before heading east. Caught Brawly up on what was going on in the outside world.

To the east was an interesting exploration site. An abandoned ship was stranded on some rocks.

It was full of holes, but still sturdy enough to explore. There were several others inside, looking around.

Unlike them, I have Johnny. We easily bypassed all the amateurs and found several interesting items hidden aboard.

We also met up with one of Capt. Stern's fellow researchers. He was looking for a part of some sort.

It was a little strange, seeing someone set up a lab inside an abandoned ship.

There was one strange thing in the ship that looked as if it needed further exploration: a hole.

A hole in the floor that was filled with water. It was no puddle, however. It looked as if it reached all the way down to the ocean floor. We left in high spirits. There was so much left to discover.

When we reached Slateport, Briney was nowhere to be found. I guess I couldn't expect him to wait around forever.

We reached Mauville again before nightfall and spent the night there.

-Route 118-

I left east out of Mauville the next morning. The water had halted my progress before today. On the other side, I saw a familiar face.

Steven Stone was there to meet me.

He didn't say why he was there, but he promised to remember me for the next time we met.

I also caught an Electrike, "Lasso" (Lv.24)

-Route 119-

Not long after I reached the other side, it began to rain and the strangest group of people challenged me.

They called this area the Mimic Circle.

They mimicked my every move and just stood there, watching me when I made no move. I eventually learned to manipulate them into coming close enough for a Pokemon battle.

"Clover" the Tropius (Lv.26), also joined my team. I'm in a catching mood today.

North of Mimic Circle was a small house. Inside was a woman, living all alone with her half-dozen Wingull.

She was sitting in the corner, muttering to herself about the Cave of Origin.

Apparently Pokemon spirits are revived there. I wonder if there's any truth behind her words.

This second half of the region was far stranger than anything I had seen up to this point.

Maybe I should go back.

Further along, I saw a few more familiar faces. Familiar outfits, rather.

Team Magma. Damn. I didn't think I would run into them again. Didn't I thwart them on Mt. Chimney?

They hadn't seen me yet, though.

I snuck around behind them to a large glass building.

-The Weather Institute-

There were a few Magma Grunts inside, but nothing Smoker couldn't handle.

There were a couple of new recruits, I noticed. They had started getting girls to join their gang.

Obviously what happened on Mt. Chimney wasn't enough to quell these idiots.

After trouncing all of the underlings in the building, I expected to find Maxie.

Instead, I found some chick. She did not take me nearly serious enough. Shows how much faith she had in her team.

She mentioned something about pulling out for now, but I had already lost interest.

This branch of Team Magma didn't even put up a fight.

The researchers in the building seemed grateful, however, and gifted me a Pokemon.

They explained that it was called Castform and it had the power to control the weather. I named her "Nami" (Lv.25) and sent her to Birch for safekeeping.

Back outside, I crossed the bridge previously guarded by hoods. I was about to go further when something stopped me.

Johnny emerged from his Pokeball without warning and pointed me south. There must be treasure to be found.

We swam downstream, through the thick weeds and pelted by rain until we reached the end of the river.

It wasn't the true end, but it was halted by rocks, through which only the water could pass.

There on the shore was a stone. It didn't look too much different than a regular rock, except that it had a large green leaf imprinted on it. I asked Kumadori what it was.

He explained that there exist special stones, like these, that can force Pokemon to evolve.

"Forced evolution? Is that okay?"

He explained to me that it was quite the controversial topic. Pokemon reach certain evolutions in the wild.

Some can evolve further, thanks to science.

Pokemon who come into contact with many different trainers will evolve past their normal evolutionary limit.

Pokemon who battle and become stronger while under a trainer's care will do the same.

These stones, however, were not man-made. It is as if these stones and Pokemon were meant to coexist.

I wonder if these are the stones that Steven is interested in.

He confessed that if he, himself, were to come in contact with the stone I had just found, it would change him.

I put the stone away. He didn't show it clearly, but he seemed uneasy about the stone's presence.

Maybe he didn't want to evolve. I might bring it up again later.

We pulled ourselves out of the water and headed back to the bridge.

While we were still a few yards off, a cyclist came to a halt and looked around.

It was May!

I called to her and she came down to me. She said she had been looking for me.

She knew I was heading this direction and had heard about Team Magma setting up shop around here.

I was flattered that she cared. Once, I explained how easy they were to disperse, she got that gleam in her eye.

She wanted another Practice battle.

Nothing fancy, but My Pokemon won out quite easily again.

Kumadori Wailmer

J. Burgess Combusken

Coby Shroomish

She confessed that she had nothing to worry about.

I asked her if she wanted to sit and talk for a while, she said we weren't far from the next city and that we should probably get out of the rain. I agreed.

-Fortree City-

Now THIS was a cool place. All of the houses were built into the treetops. It looked so cool.

We stopped into the Town Center for a rest and a bite to eat.

I decided to formally introduce her to my team and she did the same to me with hers.

Her Wailmer was named "Laboon", her Shroomish "Inazuma", and her Combusken, "Sanji" whom I had met when we both started out.

I used to think they were dumb, but I've mellowed out a bit since then. They were pretty cool names.

And now that there was no battle atmosphere, they got along pretty well with my crew.

She was fascinated by Kumadori's ability to speak and I told her about how without him, I'd never have beaten my dad...

Norman, rather.

We chatted some more. She had visited home more often than I but not since I was there last.

I decided not to ask her about her views on the usage of evolution stones. No need to sully a perfectly fine conversation.

Before we parted ways, she said she wanted to give me a gift: The ability to Fly. I was taken aback.

She looked over at Tashigi.

"Have you ever once, seen your Vibrava take flight?" I confessed I had not. It hadn't occurred to me actually.

She smiled and we went outside. It wasn't long before Tashigi was fluttering around happily, even in the rain!

She told me that Trapinch's hardly ever evolve in the wild, especially in their natural desert environment.

Therefore, when they do evolve, it takes them a while to discover their wings.

I was astounded at her knowledge. She also clued me in that Vibrava was an intermediary stage.

In fact, most of my Pokemon were not fully evolved. We ended our conversation and I invited her to stay the night in Fortree.

Unfortunately, she had to be on her way. I wanted to give her something for all of her concern, but had really nothing to give.

I decided to wait until morning to explore Fortree.

The next morning was bright and sunny.

I spoke with some of the villagers in Fortree and they told me that this lifestyle was prime for bonding with Pokemon.

I decide to let Kumadori out to roam around with me. He seemed at home in the trees.

I'm not surprised, he IS a Grass type.

While we were aloft, I saw something that sparked my interest: The Fortree Gym.

I hadn't known there was also a gym here! How exciting!

I walked around the canopy to climb down to where the gym was. When I reached the bottom though, I couldn't go any further.

"What the?"

Kumadori couldn't figure it out either. It was as if something was blocking our path.

We tried for a while to get around it, but we could never get to the gym front.

"I bet this is some sort of test. Let's explore the city a bit more and see if there is some way to get past this."

I ran into a female trainer who was having the same problem. She couldn't find a way into the gym.

Looks like a job for Johnny. However, she also mentioned something about training on Route 120.

I wonder if that's a good training spot for this region.

-Route 120-

We were feeling pretty confident, going to train in this area, but once we actually starting training, things started going horribly wrong.

The trainers we were facing weren't particularly strong, but random problematic things kept happening to my team.

Coby would fly too fast with his signature Swords Dance and end up overshooting his attacks.

Kumadori would come up in the wrong place while Digging.

Tashigi couldn't control her flight at all. What was going on?

We were fine just yesterday, but today, everything was a disaster.

Kumadori and I agreed that we obviously needed more training, so we stayed in the field.

Just as we were about to call it a day, a strange Pokemon appeared to me.

It had white fur and a large black horn protruding from one side of its head.

It walked right up to me, bathed in the light of dusk, "Trainer, you are strong."

I stood, shocked, once again. My visage identical to that when Kumadori first spoke to me.

However, Kumadori wore the same expression.

This Pokemon's speech wasn't audible, like Kumadori's either. It was as if he was speaking straight to my thoughts.

Did he have some sort of Telepathy? "Do you hear that, Kumadori?"

The little Nuzleaf nodded. We composed ourselves before the creature.

"I have been trying all day to get you to fail." The creature spoke again. "I have placed upon you curses and bad luck throughout your battles and training. You have, no doubt, noticed a change."

"So it was you."

"Indeed. I needed to test you, however, to see if you were worthy of your blessing."

"My blessing?"

The creature introduced himself as Absol and that he saw around me a blessing of great proportions.

He had been waiting for a very long time to meet someone like me.

He also expressed his desire to join my team, to keep a watch over my journey.

He ever explained in detail what my 'blessing' was, but just that I was bound for something great.

I was flattered, and would never turn down a new team member.

"Just one thing, though. If you're going to join MY team, you need a new name."

"A... new name?" It was his turn to wear the shocked expression.

I smirked. That day, "Killer" (Lv.27) joined my team.

We stayed out in the wilderness that night. The Pokemon Centers were great and all, but nothing really beat a good night out.

I awoke in the middle of the night and felt a bit restless. I left Kumadori and Killer with my other Pokemon and went for a walk on my own.

I just felt like I needed to be alone for a while. It was the first time I was truly by myself since I moved here.

I had always had a Pokemon with me, from the very beginning.

My mind was racing. I thought about the Leaf Stone and its connection to Kumadori.

I thought about Zoro, and my other lost friends.

I thought about May, about Mom, about Steven and all the other people I had met. It had been quite the journey.

Speaking of Steven, it looked as if I wasn't the only one out for a midnight stroll.

There he stood, in the middle of a small bridge, staring up at the moon.

He didn't look at me as I approached; he only spoke.

"Its nice to be alone every now and again."

I raised a brow. How did he know?

"Pokemon. You treat them very much like I do; I can tell. They are your friends."

He looked at me. He looked as if he had been crying.

"You praise them when they do well, you mourn them when they die."

I follow his gaze up to the moon.

"Why do they have to die, though?" His words mimicked the thoughts I had thought on numerous occasions.

"You lost someone dear to you." His gaze dropped to the water. He only nodded. He was stifling tears.

I take a seat on the bridge, looking at the moon's reflection on the rippling surface.

"I hate that feeling."

He agreed with me. He had already been all over Hoenn. His journey had been much longer than mine, but he explained to me that even experienced trainers such as himself meet with misfortune. Friends still die.

I expressed my sentiments and relayed my own stories of loss.

We connected a bit. After a while, he seemed to calm down.

I decided to ask him about the Leaf Stone.

"That is a very powerful item you've found, Law." He asked to see it and I brought him back to the place where my Pokemon had been sleeping. He noted the sleeping Absol with a wide stare, but apparently decided not to bring it up.

I handed him the stone, which he turned over and over in his hands.

"Yes, this is the real deal. This stone has the power to change a Pokemon, to make it stronger.

These aren't the stones that I'm particularly interested in at the moment, but I have studied them in the past."

"So is it wrong to use them on Pokemon? I mean, they were created from nature, right? They occur naturally?"

"You know, nobody knows. The Thunderstone, Water Stone and Fire Stone all occur naturally. We have found caverns where they grow like gems. They cover the walls and look very beautiful.

The Leaf Stone, however, is different from its brethren. We have never, once, found a natural quarry of Leaf Stones.

They just seem to show up from time to time, in gift shops, or laboratories." He handed the stone back to me.

"As to whether it's wrong or right to use them, that is one of those things that will never be decided by the masses.

There are those who will be against the idea and those that will use them anyway. It should be between you and your Pokemon whether you use it."

I thanked him and he assured me that we would meet again.

He then raised a single arm and a large flying creature swooped down and lifted him into the air.

He was out of sight in an instant.

I immediately wondered if Tashigi could carry me like that. Maybe one day.

When I sat back down, I felt a hard object in my sleeping bag. It was a lens of some sort.

Attached was a note.

Law,

Attain greatness.

-S.S.

How poignant.

The lens looked as if it was a peripheral attachment for the goggles May had given me.

Sure enough, it popped right onto one of the eyepieces. I wonder what it was for.

I spent the next few days training and interrogating the townspeople and passing trainers about anything and everything.

I found out that the Fortree Gym used Flying types. That wasn't good news for me.

That meant that most of my Pokemon would be weak to their attacks. I would have to come up with new strategies to win.

When I finally decided it was time to challenge the gym, I was presented with a former problem: the force-field.

It donned on me to try the new addition to my goggles.

To my surprise, they worked. They revealed an invisible creature. A Pokemon of some sort.

As soon as it realized I could see it, however, it ran off to hide in the trees.

That's a pity, I could have used an invisible Pokemon.

-Fortree Gym-

Another puzzle gym. This one had strange doors all through it.

They were a bit difficult to navigate as I didn't have Johnny with me to play pathfinder.

The members of this gym were quite fond of their leader, Winona. Each of them pledged to defeat me before I could get further.

This wasn't strange of gym members, but these few were especially loyal.

Tashigi, Killer, and Smoker took them all down a few pegs.

By the time I reached Winona, My Pokemon were a bit fatigued. That was okay.

They would be able to sit this one out.

"I have become one with the skies." Winona began her spiel. "Witness my graceful victory." She was kind of cute.

"Swellow!" She called out her first flier. I only smirked.

"Come on out, Mr.5" A large spherical Pokemon appeared in front of me. He wore a large grin on his face.

"An Electrode!?" She seemed shocked. It was only then that I realized that gym leaders monitored their underlings matches for tips on how to defeat their challengers' team. It made sense and it was a good strategy.

I just didn't work on me. Not a single Pokemon I used in my previous matches would be making an appearance versus her.

The past few days weren't just spent lollygagging around. I was hard at work training Pokemon especially suited for the task of defeating this gym.

"Swellow, Quick Attack!" She knew Electrodes were known for their speed.

"Mr.5, Please begin your Rollout assault." I matched Mr.5's grin.

The bird rammed into Mr.5 and sent him rolling backwards. He then used this momentum to roll back around the room, slamming into Swellow's side. This impact didn't stop him though. He kept rolling right past, keeping a tight circle.

He slammed into Swellow again and again until it fell over, defeated.

"Oh no. Swellow, return!" She called back her prized bird and replaced it with something different.

"Altaria!" Altaria was the evolved form of Swablu. I had read up on it when I caught one for myself.

By this time, however, Electrode had gained an enormous amount of momentum.

Winona looked incredibly worried, like she hadn't been threatened in years. "Earthquake!"

Altaria still took the hit, but not at near the force she could have taken.

Winona wasn't a gym leader for nothing. She knew she had to stop Electrode's momentum before he swept her entire team.

It wasn't enough to stop me, though. "Spark." Electrode glistened with electricity, which he easily passed onto Altaria, who didn't have enough stamina to take both attacks.

"Good Job, Mr.5." I smiled, returning my 'bomb ball' Pokemon.

Winona called out her third bird: "Come out, Skarmory!"

This wasn't the first time I'd come across this armored creature. They were wild outside Fallarbor.

Winona's however, was bound to be much more powerful.

"Go, Nami." My newest little gift floated around, nuzzling up against me before taking battle position.

"What is that thing?" Winona seemed more curious than anything.

"Nami?" I was willing to oblige her, it wasn't as if her knowing would change the outcome of this fight.

"She's a Castform, a Pokemon created by the Weather Institute to predict and control the weather.

Her eyes grew wide. "Skarmory, Agility!" Skarmory squawked in reply and took flight, gaining momentum around the room just as Electrode had done.

"Nami, Rain Dance." Nami squeaked, changing form entirely. Her normally gray body grew a blue gel around it, forming the shape of a Raindrop. Without warning, rain began to fill the gym.

Nami had changed the humidity and pressure of the room. Now, even indoors, she had complete control over the climate.

"Return, Nami." I called Castform back. She had served her purpose. I replaced her with my other secret weapon: "Lasso!"

Not only had I evolved the Voltorb I had caught in New Mauville, I had myself a newly evolved Manectric.

I had only just caught Electrike on my way into this half of the region, but he learned quickly under Kumadori's Training.

Kumadori assured me he would be invaluable in my bout with Winona.

"Skarmory, Sand Attack!" The metal bird used its momentum to swoop down, close to the ground, and kick up a cloud of sand, blurring Lasso's vision. He didn't budge and inch. He didn't look around. We had prepared for this.

"Lasso, Thunder." He nodded and fired a lightning bolt straight up at the clouds that had formed inside the building.

The clouds crackled with their new charge.

Unfortunately for Winona, her metal bird wasn't fast enough to outspeed his own conductivity.

The resulting lightning from the attack struck swift and strong, roasting Winona's armored avian.

"Skarmory, no!" She fell to her knees around the Pokemon. She could have been crying, but it was hard to tell with all the sand and rain.

"I concede defeat. You have won." I smiled and returned later.

The rain and sand soon cleared and she asked that I approach her platform.

She explained to me that she had a fourth Pokemon but that she couldn't bring herself to subject it to the power of my Lightning strikes. She hadn't thought that anyone would bring in a climate Pokemon and use it to create a thunderstorm inside her own gym. She commended me on my strategies and bestowed upon me the Feather Badge.

She also gave me a technique that never misses. I knew exactly who would enjoy something like that.

It was raining outside as well when I left the gym. Perhaps Nami's power is a bit too strong, I laughed.

I let her, Lasso, and Mr.5 rest back at Birch's lab. He was happy to have them, especially Nami.

He had made great strides studying Brook and Yosaku's leg was healing quickly.

He also told me that my mom had evolved Nojiko into an Azumarill. I was so proud of her.

I was going to have Tashigi Fly me home for a visit, but she wasn't strong enough to carry anyone yet.

I decided to continue my journey.

My world soon turned dark again. I had grown overconfident in my abilities and it cost me.

I met a trainer on the road who insisted on a one-on-one battle. I agreed.

J. Burgess hadn't been able to participate in the last match and I knew he was upset to have missed it, so I chose him.

She had a beautiful creature I had never seen. She called it Milotic.

Machoke was caught off-guard by her beauty and it struck fast.

I could only watch as it wrapped its elongated body around him and crushed his bones. It all happened so fast.

It was a dirty tactic to use a Pokemon's attractiveness to sucker other Pokemon into its trap, but I had been stupid enough to fall for it.

It definitely pulled me down several notches.

Ironically, the rain stopped and the sun showed it's stupid glory all over the area. Must be a great feeling for her.

I had always admired Burgess' strength. He took hits like none of my other Pokemon, and now he was gone forever.

I think the worst part about losing a friend like this is watching them die and being powerless to stop it.

Steven's words from the week before came rushing back to me.

This had to stop. Pokemon shouldn't be condemned to death as a result of these battles.

I decided at that very moment to become even stronger. I would become the champion of this region.

I would gain influence over the people and cease this suffering.

RIP Jesus Burgess. (Lv.40)

I continued my journey in obviously low spirits, despite my new drive.

I was feelig a bit morbid, so I caught a strange ghost Pokemon that I dubbed "Moria" (Lv.26)

I immediately sent it to the Professor, however. I didn't feel like dealing with it right now.

I passed the famed Safari Zone without a second look. It just didn't interest me at the moment.

I made it to Lilycove City, checked into the Center and went to sleep.

Hopefully, I would feel better tomorrow.

-Lilycove City-

Lilycove was THE metropolitan hub of the region.

It had a motel, a museum, a shipyard (Identical to the one in Slateport), a beautiful beach, and a dept. store larger than any Pokemon Mart I had ever seen. It had everything.

Unfortunately, included in everything was something else I really didn't feel like dealing with: Team Herpderp.

Herpderp being the red hoods I had dealt with so many times before, not the other idiots in blue.

Surprisingly enough, none of them recognized me. You'd think I'd be public enemy number one with the amount of ass-kicking I've done to their members. I guess they don't mention me in the recruiting speech.

I eavesdropped on some of their conversations and learned of a secret cave in the cove.

Busting Team Magma might be just what I needed to release some of this stress.

I decided to hit the store first. I hadn't bought supplies in quite a bit.

On my way up to the upper level where the store was, I could see a person in a red outfit guarding the door.

Damn. I didn't feel like getting into things just yet.

However, upon closer inspection, I found that the red outfit was just May's bandana.

It was good to see her, but I was a bit ashamed to show up looking like I did. (I hadn't slept well last night and I was sure that my unease showed quite blatantly on my face.)

She greeted me with a hug, telling me she was waiting for me. She had never hugged me before.

Maybe I didn't need to defeat Team Magma today... but no, I was totally going to beat their asses, anyway.

She told me about her new Pokemon that could fly her around. I can't say I wasn't jealous.

Her reason for waiting for me was a new archaeological discovery outside the town.

A strange large stone, surrounded by six smaller stones, all jutting up from the ground.

My ears perked up. A third one? Where?

It was difficult to find without looking for it and I hadn't been in the exploring mood, but I had passed it on the way in.

I thanked her for the information and told her about the other two that I had seen in the desert and on the sea.

She nodded and left on her Swellow, "Kaku" to relay the info to Prof. Birch.

I immediately released Tashigi and we left to visit this new monument.

It was quite a hassle getting there, but again, Johnny found the quickest path.

Not surprisingly, we weren't the first ones there. A little old man in safari gear was poking around.

"Interesting stuff, huh?" I approached non-threateningly, attempting to make small talk.

"Huh! What, no. Go away!" He retorted, turning around to face me.

"What's wrong. I..."

"Get out of here! I found it first. This discovery is mine! I won't let you buzzards take my fame again!"

The man took out a Pokeball, releasing a Sandslash. "Get'im!" The creature dug underground, ready to assault me.

I was no novice when it came to diggers. "Go, Tashigi." My Vibrava emerged and took her battle stance.

Sandslash came up under her but was quickly fended off by a well-timed Dragonbreath.

Before the fight could go on any further, Tashigi began to glow.

The man and his Sandslash stopped, observing the happening.

Tashigi grew, her wings doubled in size and she grew a long tail. She ceased resembling a dragonfly and now resembled a majestic dragon!

She landed directly before Sandslash, threatening a fully powered Dragonbreath.

"Stop! Stop. Stopstopstop." The archaeologist ran up, protecting his Pokemon with his own body.

"Tashigi, wait." It's not as if I wanted to hurt it.

"I'm sorry for being so paranoid. I thought you were here to steal my discovery.

We spoke for a while and he said he had been researching various archaeological finds all over the world.

But every time he would find something, someone else would swoop in and steal his glory.

I asked him if he had made any headway on this particular find. Unfortunately, he had not.

I wasn't in a particularly generous mood (in fact, part of me still wanted to roast the pair of them), but I DID want to know more about these monuments, so I decided to tell him about the other two I had seen.

I wasn't particularly interested in credit for them, but he assured me I would get it anyway. I was only interested in what was inside.

I was still certain that there should be a way to get inside.

He thanked me for the information and I turned to go. I hadn't come to explore today, only to test Tashigi's reaction to the area.

That being done, I had some real ass to kick.

I went to the beach east of Lilycove and into the hideout I had heard about. Inside, there were two Magma guards.

Using Tashigi's new evolution to intimidate people for information? I could get used to that.

Apparently Maxie wasn't in today. He had gone to Mt. Pyre.

Luckily for me, that was right outside of town.

-Mt. Pyre-

Johnny and I ventured into the gulf, in the center of which was a large hollowed out mountain.

Inside, I had to stop and catch my breath. The first floor was covered with gravestones. This was a Pokemon graveyard.

Many trainers would come here to bury their dead. I immediately felt my heart sink.

Several trainers stood here and there, mourning their losses. I felt for them.

I wanted to save them, to save everyone from the pain of death. I wasn't naïve enough to think that this was possible.

Everyone had to die sometime. But death as a result of these battles was inexcusable.

Exploring further into the mountain, I found that it wasn't just the first floor. The entire mountain was filled with dead Pokemon.

As such, there were ghosts everywhere. I caught a Shuppet, named "Fukurou" (Lv.27).

I caught it because Kumadori seemed to have a strange connection to it.

Neither of us could pinpoint it, but while fighting the phantasm, he felt a familiarity. The Shuppet felt the same. It came along, easily.

We reached the top. Maxie was nowhere to be found.

On our way back down, I noticed another exit. It led outside.

-Route 122-

The outside of the mountain was just as glum as the inside. There was fog everywhere. It's strange. I hadn't noticed any fog before I entered the mountain. It also had different Pokemon besides ghosts.

I caught a Meditite. This was only the third one I had ever seen. The first was in Brawly's gym. The second killed Zoro.

This one, I named "Bon Clay" (Lv.29)

The further up we reached, the more certain I was that we were getting close.

Unfortunately the fog mixed with the altitude was making it difficult to breathe.

At last, we saw red, literally.

Several Magma lackeys met us in battle and Kumadori wiped the floor with them.

All that was left was Maxie.

I approached, filled with the rage of my dead comrades.

One in particular pushed me to fight. Mozu.

Poor Mozu wasn't long for this world, but she could have been. But Maxie put her away.

It was time to enact my revenge.

I approached him. His back was turned.

"Not you again." He started.

I didn't want to hear it. "Call out your Pokemon!" I shouted. "I challenge you to a battle."

"And what if I don't?" He stood, calmly deflecting my anger.

I didn't know what to say. Turning down a challenge was unheard of.

"Then I'll attack you!" I gripped my Pokeball tightly.

"Do it." He stood, one hand behind his back, the other holding something. A Blue Orb of some sort.

"Attack me. Bring be down with your Pokemon. There are no witnesses... well, except for these nice people." He gestured behind him.

I hadn't seen them through the fog and even now it was unclear. But it looked like an elderly couple, clutching each other in fear of this man.

My grip softened. He called my bluff. I didn't even want to hurt his Pokemon, much less him.

He sneered and walked right past me.

"That bastard." I slammed my fist into the rock wall beside me.

When I looked up, the elderly woman was smiling at me.

"That was very brave." She spoke calmly.

"What, chickening out?"

"You know what I mean."

I sighed, putting my Pokeball away.

"However, this is a great disaster. That man stole the Blue Orb. It must never be separate from its mate."

"There's another Orb?"

The man behind her came forward, holding a blood Red Orb, identical to the other one in everything save its color.

"When the orbs are separated, something terrible will happen." She spoke again.

She looked at the man, then back to me. "I feel like we can trust you. Will you take this Orb and go after that man? The two Orbs need to be together.

Neither of us can handle this. But you, you have exhibited great qualities in the face of adversity. I am certain you will succeed in getting back the Blue Orb."

I took the Red Orb in my hand, turning it over a few times. It wasn't particularly large or ornate, but I could definitely feel something special about it.

The man took me aside, "Would you hear the story of the Orbs before you go?"

I did. I was definitely curious about its origin.

"It happened long, long ago. The world was wracked by a ferocious clash between the Pokemon of the land and the Pokemon of the sea. The Pokemon of the land raised mountains and created continents. The Pokemon of the sea raised huge waves and carved out oceans.

Their fierce duel raged without end. The world was engulfed in vicious storms and massive infernos. The Red Orb and the Blue Orb brought an end to the calamity. Light poured from the two Orbs and becalmed the enraged adversaries. The pair, made docile, burrowed deep under the ground where eventually, they disappeared."

His story left something to be desired, but the thought of Pokemon that created the land and sea invigorated me.

I would take back the Blue Orb from Maxie and Team Magma and defeat them once and for all.

I went back to Lilycove for more information. One look at Tashigi and the grunts caved. "He went to jack a submarine."

Since there was no activity as the port in Lilycove, that meant that Magma had moved to Slateport.

Maxie easily had an hour or two on me, but he wasn't flying.

When I called out Tashigi and told her the plan, she looked at me strangely.

"Oh come on. It's perfect. We can fly wherever we want now! And we have to get to Slateport before Team Magma does! The fate of the country may depend on it."

She hesitantly let me on her back. I wrapped my arms around her neck and we took off. She was quick and agile, even with a passenger.

She had grown to be so strong. Flying, for me, took some getting used to, but before long, I was really enjoying myself.

We would reach Slateport in no time. The Harbor was our destination.

Tashigi let me off as we landed where a crowd had formed. I don't think anyone even saw me land.

A man in a lab coat was being interviewed. It was Capt. Stern.

He was saying something about a submarine exploration involving the discovery of an underwater route.

I had to warn him about Team Magma. Before I could speak however, a voice rang out, as if over a speaker of some sort.

"You're too late Law. The submarine is ours." We ran inside the harbor to find Team Magma already preparing to shove off.

"Follow us back to Lilycove, Little Law, unless you're afraid." Maxie laughed, flashing the Blue Orb before closing the hatch and rocketing away.

"Damnit!" I slammed my fist into the wall.

"Why would they want my submarine?" Stern pondered.

"Who cares? Let's go Tashigi." Flygon snorted and bent down, letting me aboard.

"Wait, Law, I..." it was too late, I was already airborne.

Back in Lilycove, I headed straight for the hideout.

The town was still littered with red hoods, but I paid no attention to them.

-Magma Hideout-

The grunts I had thumped earlier had taken off, or perhaps they were called away. Regardless, I barged right in. I was on a mission.

The Magma grunts within the compound talked big but were of no consequence. Kumadori took care of them with ease.

We fought through grunt after grunt, each one smiling even as I defeated them.

I finally reached the submarine dock where one lackey, much larger than the rest, stopped me.  
"I'm a cut above the rest of the hired help around here. I will stop you."

He didn't. A cut above utter crap is still embarrassingly low.

However, while I was occupied fighting the idiots, Maxie got away again. Why was I not surprised?

-Route 124-

I went out on the sea with Johnny to look for Maxie, but it wasn't long before we realized our efforts were fruitless.

He was in a submarine and Johnny could barely tow us both above water. We kept going for a while and eventually found a city.

-Mossdeep City-

It was no metropolis, but it was certainly larger than most of the cities I had come across.

I decided to explore a bit and found that this city had a gym.

I would certainly be able to make time for that while looking for clues to get to the bottom of the ocean.

I visited the space center and chatted more with the townsfolk.

The villagers really respected the gym leaders and they let slip that the badge battle was a two on two encounter.

Maybe the gym leaders would have some information on how to follow a submarine.

-Mossdeep Gym-

Psychic types. The ones I had gone up against were quite powerful thus far.

I would have to have a strong defense to go up against such power.

The trainers here were strong. Their Pokemon were fast, but as they say: Slow and steady wins the race.

Smoker took their hits like a champ. However, these trainers were far more experienced than the gym rats I had faced thus far.

They were smart. They modified their techniques. Smoker soon became too worn down to face them.

"What now?" I asked myself, attempting to navigate the maze that was the Mossdeep gym.

Kumadori let himself out and slapped me on the back of the head. "Have I taught you nothing about type advantages, boy?"  
"What the hell?"

Kumadori crossed his arms, looking at me. "Who are Psychic Pokemon's greatest threats?"

I thought for a bit before it hit me. A sinister smile played across my face. Dark types.

Luckily, I had a couple who were perfect for the job.

From then on, the gym was simple. Psychic Pokemon showed up to face me, Killer and Kumadori put them down.

Then it was the gym leaders' turn.

I was surprised: They were the youngest ones yet.

They introduced themselves as Tate and Liza and that they had Psychic powers.

"This will be a 2-on-2 match with NO substitutes." They instructed.

"Very well." I smiled, releasing Absol and Nuzleaf.

"Big surprise," Tate laughed, "Dark types. Sure don't see many of THEM in here, right, Liza?"

People back in Lilycove could sense his sarcasm.

"Alright then" he continued. "Go!"

The both released their Pokemon. One was shaped like a big orange sun, the other was shaped like the Moon.

Solrock and Lunatone were the signature duo of the Mossdeep Gym Leaders.

"You two know what to do." Before the twins could call an attack, my Pokemon were upon them.

Kumadori took Solrock with a Fake Out attack and Killer began his Swords Dance. He had been working with Coby to learn how to raise his attack through a momentum shift.

Solrock got knocked away from Lunatone by Kumadori's assault while Lunatone began to Calm its Mind.

I'm not sure what it was doing, but it began glowing with a strange power.

"Many challengers try to separate our duo." Liza laughed, "They think it will somehow help them to defeat us."

"Divide and conquer, right Liza?" Tate echoed her laugh.

Lunatone used its Psychic powers to pick up Kumadori and toss him away from Solrock. He couldn't damage Nuzleaf because of his typing, but he was still affected by the innate Telekinesis of Psychic types.

"Too bad, your fighter is also a Grass type." Tate smirked, "Solrock! Flamethrower!" Kumadori had not yet regained his composure from the toss.

A stream of fire was headed right for him.

Just before contact, Killer stepped in the way, taking the hit. He had finished his Swords Dance.

"Bite." Killer sped forward and jumped, sinking his teeth into the Rock flesh of Solrock. He clamped down and bit right through one of his 'arms.'

"Solrock!" Tate yelled, obviously surprised.

"Faint Attack." Kumadori followed up, finishing the Meteorite Pokemon off.

"Lunatone, Hypnosi-" she stopped her command dead. Killer and Kumadori were approaching slowly.

I had to admit they looked cool. Killer looked quite menacing, in fact.

"We give up." Liza called back Lunatone. Tate was knelt over Solrock, examining its damage.

"We're smart enough to know when we've been beat. There's no reason to take it any further."

I completely respected that. This is the way Pokemon battling should be. Solrock wasn't dead. It only fainted.

There was no reason to kill each other over badges and status.

Kumadori seemed to be analyzing his fallen foes. I was about to ask what he was doing, but was too soon accosted by the twins.

They congratulated me on a spectacular fight, saying that they had foreseen the coming of a strong trainer and were happy to have engaged in battle with me.

I asked them about my ocean trip and they suggested I ask the fishing guru just on the outskirts of town. Or maybe Steven would have an idea.

"Steven?" I was astounded. I completely forgot about what Kumadori was doing.  
They pointed out that Steven lived on this island. It was like his home base.

I quickly thanked them and exited the building.

I wonder if Steven was even home. I decided to visit this Fishing guru first.

He was a kind soul and gave me a Super new fishing Rod when I mentioned that the twins had sent me.

Steven was happy to see me and even more so when he saw my shiny new badge.

When I told him of my dilemma, he said he had the perfect solution:

All I needed to do was catch a Pokemon capable of withstanding deep-sea pressure.

I went to the coast, relaxing after a hard day's work. It was almost sunset, but I vowed to catch a proper Pokemon before sleep.

-Route 127-

I spent hours fishing. I had never done it before. In the meantime, I let my Pokemon train with Kumadori.

He wanted to spend time with Fukurou, maybe figure out what connection they had.

Tashigi wanted to train in her new body as well. She was great against Team Magma, but they were incompetent.

She was still not used to her new stature.

Coby and Smoker needed a vacation. They had fought well for me and I didn't want to see them suffer anymore.

I sent them to rest with Birch.

Night came and I fell asleep at the rod. I had been pondering on much.

Lack of luck fishing gives the human mind a lot of time to think.

I dreamed of the story the old man had dictated: Of the Pokemon of Land and Sea.

I didn't know what they looked like, so my mind made up images.

I imagined them fighting, creating their own element while simultaneously destroying each other's work.

I floated among them, they did not see me. I watched as oceans were parted by rising mountains and deserts were drowned by the sea.

Then, one of them began to win out over the other. This was the spot in the story were the Orbs were supposed to glow and quell the beasts, but something was wrong. The orbs were not together. As such, the beast of the water was winning out over the beast of the land.

Water began to engulf everything. It covered the entire earth. It came up to me and soon I was underwater. I couldn't breathe.

I opened my eyes. I was actually underwater! What happened.

I found my fists gripped tight around my fishing rod and something had hooked the other end.

It was dragging me down into the depths! I quickly let go of my new fishing rod, but having just woken up, I was a bit dazed.

It was also nightfall and the moon wasn't out. I didn't even know which way was up.

I tried to look around. I couldn't see anything. Something swam past me; something big.

I needed to catch my breath. There was nowhere to go. Something grabbed me and began dragging me through the water.

I was almost out of air.

My already hazy vision faded further, but soon, oxygen!

Air poured into my lungs as I was finally aware of my surroudings. It was Killer who had grabbed me, dragging me ashore.

Tashigi was there, waiting, pulling me away from the water.

"Wait!" I coughed, attempting to stand. Tashigi didn't listen and dragged me away from the water.

Suddenly, I saw them. Fins. Cruel, wicked looking fins pierced the surface of the water.

"Sharpedo." I gasped. One of them had snagged my line and the rest had been following it.

Killer and Kumadori stood between me and the water, facing the sharks.

Water Pokemon didn't typically function well on land, but it was still wise to be cautious.

Soon, the fins began to disappear. But it wasn't as if they wanted to. They looked like they were in a panic. Soon, something else surfaced.

A large, wide dome pushed through the water, mowing over the area where the Sharpedo were swarming.

One by one, the terrors of the sea left us.

At the same time, the moon came out from behind the clouds and shone down on our guest.

A Wailmer, like the one May had, poked its head out, a wide grin on its visage. It squeaked at us.

Killer and Kumadori relaxed their muscles.

I walked forward, slowly, approaching the great creature. It was larger than the one May had.

"Hello." I spoke softly. It responded with a squeal and attempted to come ashore. "No, no, no." I ran forward.

It continued squealing before I reached it, putting my hands on its large head.

It stopped moving at my touch. I was close to it now. The moon shone brightly and I could see...

This creature was blind.

Wailmer usually traveled in pods. Large groups in order to dissuade attack. Not to mention, they were social creatures.

This one had gotten separated. That's why it was squealing so much. Without its sight, it had to rely on its echolocation.

It had mistaken the Sharpedos for its pod and followed them. I decided to catch it. It came easily. I named it "Laboon" (Lv.30).

I showed up at Steven's cold and wet and he took me in.

I explained to him what happened as well as my dream. He just smiled and told me to get some rest.

It seemed like sound advice. He had given me some dry clothes and a place to sleep. I should heed his words.

The next morning, I awoke relatively late. Steven had thick curtains, causing the light to stay out. Good idea.

The house was small so I knew there was no one inside as soon as I woke up. My Pokeballs were gone, too.

I ventured outside into the bright morning light and saw Steven there, with my Pokemon. He was sitting, crosslegged, speaking with Kumadori.

"Law" he looked up, smiling. "Good morning!" he waved me over.

I stood beside the two.

"You have some of the most marvelous Pokemon I've ever met." He smiled, motioning to my friends.

Tashigi and Killer were sparring. She had gained control of her size and was using it well.

Even though she was much heavier than before, she was more lithe than when she was a Vibrava.

Killer was even more deadly with his stances and attacks.

Just how long had everyone been up?

"I have something to show you." He stood up, leading me to the edge of the water.

He pulled out a whistle and blew one note. Within seconds, Laboon had surfaced, squeaking.

"The Wailmer you captured last night is perfect for deep-sea exploration. She is fast, strong, and smart."

He showed me how to communicate effectively with her, despite her lack of sight.

Soon, I had mastered the whistle and could command her to Dive and come up with relative ease.

I thanked him for everything and he invited me back inside.

My clothes hadn't properly been taken care of so he gave me a new set. They were pretty cool.

They weren't anything like the suit that I had seen Steven in whenever I met him before.

I wondered where he had gotten them. Perhaps they were his adventuring clothes when he was a young trainer.

I got dressed and recalled all of my Pokemon. It was time to go after Maxie once and for all.

He couldn't run anymore.

-Route 128-

Laboon and I took to the seas. She was a much better ride than Johnny; I could actually ride on her back instead of being dragged through the water.

We explored all over and when we found deep water, I whistled for her to Dive.

She was so graceful, even underwater, and she was easy to hold on to.

I had thought breathing was going to be an issue, but Steven had thought of that as well.

He gave me a special breathing apparatus for use while Diving. How useful!

We explored the depths at length until we finally spotted an underwater cave. *This must be the cavern that Stern had talked about.*

We went inside without hesitation.

There it was, the submersible stolen from Slateport. Team Magma must have surfaced here.

-Seafloor Cavern-

This place was full of puzzles. Johnny would have a field day.

Good thing, too, cuz he isn't able to do seafloor treasure hunting. His body simply can't take the pressure.

We navigated through the caverns, which proved to be more difficult than usual. It seemed like we were going in circles when we knew we weren't.

There also seemed to be more Magma Grunts than should have fit in that submarine.

Courtney was there, too, providing another lack of challenge.

We went deeper and deeper into the caves, until we found a room filled with steam. It was insanely hot.

Upon further inspection, we discovered there was a large magma pool in the room.

And in the center of the pool sat a large statue. A stone sentinel depicting some horrendous beast.

"Hold it!" A voice came from behind us.

Maxie walked in the room, same irritating calm he always had.

"Behold, the sleeping form of Groudon."

"Who is Groudon?"

He didn't answer my query.

"In order for my dream to become reality, you must be disposed of, once and for all." Maxie gripped a Pokeball, threateningly.

"I won't run away this time." He sneered, "And when you are defeated, I will throw your body in the lava and not a single soul will be able to save you."

"Key word being defeated." I smirked, gripping my own Pokeball.

"Go!" Our words echoed each other.

He chose Mightyena. I chose Absol. Our Dark Dogs fought vicously.

My legend of disaster versus his rabid mutt.

Killer came out victorious, but was gravely injured in the process.

Maxie's Mightyena lay lifeless on the dirt floor, Killer's teeth and claws stained with its blood.

"Camerupt." He summoned his huge volcanic beast, who seemed right at home in this heat.

"Tashigi." Flygon came out with a new confidence. It was time to show her stuff.

"Camerupt, Take her Down." The beast complied, charging Tashigi.

"I think not. Fly, Tashigi." Tashigi took to the air, dodging his assault before coming back down for a dive bomb.

The engagement kept going like this for some time.

Every so often, one of them would get an attack in, but Camerupt was surprisingly able to keep up with Flygon. It was very strong.

"I've had enough of this." Maxie started, "Camerupt, Rock Slide." Camerupt then made a direct line straight for the nearest wall, slamming his huge mass into it. The resulting shockwave caused rocks to fall from the ceiling.

Tashigi couldn't maneuver around them and had to land to avoid too much damage.

"Tashigi, Crunch!" She obeyed, charging forth to take a large bite into Camerupt's flesh.

"Take Down, again." Camerupt threw itself to the ground, landing on top of Flygon.

"Tashigi!" The beast got up, revealing Flygon's body.

"No... Tashigi, get up! Get up!" She didn't move. "GET UP!" I screamed.

Then, inch by inch, Tashigi began to lift herself off of the ground.

Her wings were crumpled from Camerupt's mass and I think her arm was broken.

"No, Tashigi."

"Finish it off, Camerupt. Earthquake."

Camerupt reared back on its hind legs, using its weight to gain enough momentum to come crashing down to the ground, shaking the very earth.

Tashigi couldn't keep her balance and fell to the ground... but something happened.

She stopped herself, just before collapsing and looked Camerupt right in the eye.

She sunk her claws into the ground, which still shook from his attack.

The shaking began to subside, though. Maxie looked astounded, wondering why Camerupt's attack was ceasing.

"Tashigi..." I didn't know what to tell her.

She looked at me, jerking her head, motioning me to get down. I obeyed.

Then, just as the quaking had ceased, it began again.

But this time, it was 10 times more violent than before.

"What? What's going on!?" Maxie looked around, but the answer was right in front of him.

Camerupt's quake was strong alright, but it was nothing compared to what a Dragon could do.

I understood what was going on. "Tashigi! Earthquake!" She didn't need my instruction, but I wanted to tell her it was okay to go all-out.

Camerupt quickly lost its balance, falling face-first into a wall. It was no longer able to battle.

I ran to Tashigi and she put her snout under my chin. "Its alright, girl. You did well."

We both returned our Pokemon.

"Defeated huh? You're so far from defeating me, it's not even funny."

He smirked, pulling out another Pokeball. "What, you think I'm finished already? Crobat! Come forth!"

This Pokemon was new to me. It was obviously a fully evolved Zubat.

What would I use to combat it? Tashigi and Killer were down for the count and I obviously couldn't rely on Johnny or Laboon in battle.

That left Fukurou and Kumadori, the latter of whom was weak to Poison and Flying type attacks. I couldn't put him up against that.

I guess my choice was made for me. "Fukurou!" I called out my freshly caught Shuppet... except it wasn't a Shuppet.

The Pokemon I called out was a fully evolved Banette! "Fukurou?" She turned and just smiled at me, with a big, sinister zipped-up smile.

But how? Then it hit me: Steven. Steven must have evolved my Shuppet last night while I slept. Amazing.

"Fukurou, Will-o-Wisp!" The puppet-ghost formed a blue flame in its hands, sending it toward Crobat.

"Break right through it, Crobat." The creature was abnormally fast, speeding through and extinguishing the flame in the same instant as it launched an attack. It flew right past Fukurou, slashing at her skin.

The attack produced a large gash in her side, but it quickly healed up thanks to her being a ghost.

"Faint Attack!" Fukurou disappeared, reappearing just above Crobat. He was fast, but he wasn't invulnerable.

I had remembered this tactic from when it was used on Coby.

Unfortunately, Fukurou was still an under-experienced fighter and her attacks didn't seem to be fazing Crobat at all.

"Ghost Pokemon are such marvelous creatures." Maxie seemed to laugh, "They have the ability to regenerate as long as their body is intact."

I listened, still keeping an eye on the battle. "However, if a Ghost type was ever to become separated..." He sneered as Crobat charged Fukurou.

"Show our little Law what a real Bite looks like."

"Fukurou, Night Shade!" She made a black veil in front of her, but it was no use. Crobat charged right through and took her midsection in it's jaws.

"No!" I stepped forward in shock. I had been lucky with Tashigi. "Fukurou!"

There was nothing I could do. Crobat's deadly jaws snapped her in two.

Her two halves fell to the ground. There was no blood. Stuffing however, peeked out of her wounds, as if she was just a toy.

Kumadori let himself out of his ball and ran to her.

He lifted her top half in his arms. She looked up to him with a pained smile, touching his face lightly.

She began to disappear. Her remains formed into a wisp which Kumadori took into his body. (RIP Fukurou, Lv.45)

He seemed pained for a second, but that pain soon turned to rage. He looked up at Crobat, furious hatred in his eyes.

It didn't take a genius to figure out his previous relationship to Fukurou.

He took a strange stance, forming a ball of energy with his hands. The ball pulsed with darkness.

"Shadow Ball." I whispered to myself, astounded. Fukurou's remains had given Kumadori a new ability.

He fired it off with such power, he himself was pushed back several inches from the force.

The attack landed beautifully, knocking Crobat to the ground.

It didn't stay down long.

"Aren't you worried about your Pokemon's weakness?" Maxie sneered as Crobat took to the air again.

"Kumadori, use another Shadow Ball!" Kumadori's breathing was hard, he was bent over in pain. "Kumadori. What's wrong."  
"I can't. My body isn't used to Fukurou's spirit taking refuge inside it. My body is rejecting her soul."

"What?" It was then that my hope seemed to leave me. Through it all, I never thought it would come down to something like this.

We were so close.

Maxie sensed my weakness and exploited it. "Air Slash."

Crobat flapped its four wings in rapid succession, causing blades of wind to soar towards Kumadori.

The attacks hit him hard, and he dropped to one knee. Several gashes had appeared on his arms and legs.

"No! Kumadori!" He had been with me through so much. "Kumadori, you can't give up! You can't!"

I could see that he was struggling even to kneel.

"Wing Attack." Maxie's next command came. Crobat dove down, slamming his razor sharp wings into Kumadori's gut.

He was sent sprawling backwards.

"You can't lose now! I wouldn't even be here without you!" I shouted. "Please. Just tell me what to do!"

He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Then, he slowly turned his head, looking directly at me.

"You have come so far, Law. I am so happy for you to have been my pupil."

"Don't talk like that!"

He made a pained chuckling sound. "I never expected it to come to this either."

"Crobat... finish him." Crobat nodded and prepared his next attack.

"Law..." he took a deep breath. "If you don't know exactly what to do in this situation, then I have failed you as a mentor!"

He had used his last bit of energy to lecture me?

I searched my mind for what he meant. He had a plan? Why didn't he just tell me.

He was risking his life on my ability to have learned from him.

Time seemed to slow to an unbearable speed.

I looked over to Maxie and his Crobat. The creature's wings, which normally flapped at an incredible rate, were barely moving at all.

I could see the attack forming at its wingtips, too. It was preparing another Air Slash.

I wouldn't let that happen.

My mind raced. I went through every possible strategy that Kumadori had ever taught me. Nothing seemed viable.

Not a single one of my Pokemon was strong enough to battle. What good would any of these strategies be?

Then, it struck me: The solution was nothing that Kumadori had ever taught me how to do.

In fact, we barely even touched on the subject.

I quickly reached into my bag. I could feel time speeding back up again.

Maxie was preparing to order the attack.

I had no time. I reached into the area of my satchel that held my most important items.

I pulled out a small rock. This one had a green leaf imprinted on it.

I only had once chance at this. I reared back, aiming ever so carefully.

I let the stone fly, spinning as it arced toward Kumadori.

"Air Slash!" Maxie's voice was slowed down, but everything was returning to normal quickly.

There was nothing left but to hope.

Crobat's attack was complete. Blades of wind soared once more, toward Kumadori's limp body.

This would surely finish him.

The Leaf Stone came in contact with him first.

Time was instantly normal as a mini shockwave emanated from Kumadori's body.

The Air Slash was dissipated in midair. Kumadori began to change.

Long white hair grew down from his head and reached his feet. His body mass increased and leaves grew on his hands.

Long horns jutted up from his head and his eyes turned a bright yellow.

Kumadori stood, his body completely changed.

He turned to me briefly, hinting a single smile before turning toward Crobat.

"This doesn't change anything!" Maxie was enraged. He had had this battle in the bag. He never expected Kumadori to evolve into Shiftry.

"Crobat, Air Slash now! Finish that ugly beast off once and for all."

"Kumadori!" I shouted, "I know you learned something else at Mossdeep Gym. Now show me!"

A wide grin showed on Kumadori's face. "Right!" His new voice was interesting. I liked it: a deeper, more guttural sound in contrast to his usual soft-spokenness.

His eyes glowed from yellow to a bright pink.

We spoke at the same time: "Extrasensory!" Crobat froze in midair.

Kumadori had awakened his Psychic powers. This battle was over.

"Crobat! Obey me! Finish off that little shit right now!" But Crobat was disabled. He wasn't going anywhere.

Crobats wings were folded backwards until the sound of bones snapping echoed throughout the chamber.

It was only then, that Kumadori dropped his opponent.

"You're next, Maxie." I approached, Kumadori following suit.

Maxie only laughed.

"I commend you, Law. I must recognize that you are truly gifted."

"Shut up. I don't need your petty compliments."

"However!" he interrupted me "I have this." He held the Blue Orb high in the air.

"And even though you may have defeated all of my Pokemon, I will still accomplish my dream!"

He turned the Orb toward the statue in the middle of the magma.

The stone gargoyle began to glow, strange markings appearing all over it.

That's when I realized it wasn't a statue at all. It was the true Pokemon of the land: Groudon!

Suddenly, the creature disappeared.

"WHAT!?" Maxie was enraged. "What happened, where did it go?"

"What have you wrought?" another familiar voice.

"You thought you could control Groudon with that Orb?" A bearded man in blue showed up, followed by several lackeys.

"Archie!"

Maxie ignored him, running past, trying to exit the cave.

"After him." Team Aqua and I followed him.

When we reached the outside, the sun was unbearably bright! "What the hell?" Archie shielded his eyes.

Maxie was there, looking around, dumfounded at what to do.

"Do you see how disastrous your dream turned out to be?" Archie snapped at Maxie.

"We have to do something before this gets completely out of control." I raised my voice.

"Law." Archie turned to me, "Team Aqua has been fighting Team Magma for years, trying to stop this. We appreciate your help, but I fear that the situation has become too great for a child to handle." [Who is he calling a child?]

"This defies belief. A super-ancient Pokemon. Its power is unbelievable. It has upset the balance of nature."

Both leaders made a hasty exit. I was left on the island alone.

Alone, but not for long. Steven flew in on a shadow. I couldn't tell because of how bright the sun was.

"Law! What is happening?" I told him about what occurred deep below the surface.

"This is terrible. If this doesn't stop, all of Hoenn... no, the whole world will be parched.

The cause of this calamity: The Blazing Sun, is above Sootopolis. What is taking place there?

Law, I don't know what you intend to do, but don't do anything reckless. I am going to Sootopolis."

And with that, he was gone. What did he expect me to do? Where was Sootopolis?

-Route 126-

It was impossible to travel above the water. It was too hot. The light was blinding.

Luckily, I had a Pokemon who could take me away from the sun.

Laboon took me down, down, down to the depths. We traveled for a while beneath the waves, exploring as we went.

What were we supposed to do? Go after Magma? Archie had that covered. Besides, I had gotten the revenge I desired.

Should I go meet Steven in Sootopolis? Probably, but I didn't even know where that was.

So I took my time, we explored the depths, passing many beautiful creatures on the way.

Why would anyone want to get rid of all this wonder?

We came to a small corner of the deep, hidden by rocks and other obstacles.

This place looked as if it was hiding something. We ventured deeper. The light pierced the waves, but it didn't reach this low.

Down here, things were serene.

However, this corner of the ocean hid a wondrous secret. Relicanth!

A whole school of them! I remember reading about them as kids. They were assumed to be extinct.

'Wow,' I thought to myself. I just had to have one. But how would I battle down here? Only Laboon could stand the pressure.

Before I could think, something swam past us at an amazing speed. It even pushed Laboon out of it's way.

Not surprising. She had been using me as her eyes, simply obeying my directional commands.

Then it hit me. I had been controlling her with my touch. I had never really taught her to battle. Even worse, I couldn't give commands underwater!

The creature turned around to face us. I could just make out a large red spot behind its head. It was definitely one of the Relicanth.

It charged at us, slamming into Laboon, who went careening through the tide.

I pressed my hands on her side, keeping her stable. I tried to communicate with her, but my words and my whistle were useless down here.

'Trust me.' I thought, stroking her soft skin. I knew what she was capable of, but I had never tested it in combat.

The Relicanth charged again, straight for us. I made small circles on her back, hoping she would understand. She did.

The Relicanth drew close, but was stopped by a harsh Whirlpool! Laboon had created it from her blowhole, manipulating it in front of us, blocking Relicanth's charge. I rubbed her back, praising her. Relicanth soon found his way around the whirlpool and began another charge.

I pressed down on Laboon's back, then released sharply. She obeyed again. Just as Relicanth drew dangerously close, she dove down several feet, rapidly, coming up just under the Longevity Pokemon, knocking it out of kilter.

The attack jarred me a bit, too, but it worked. Relicanth was dazed by the attack. I don't think it met many strategic attackers down here.

Maybe the odd Sharpedo, but they were stupid beasts and would be no match for this guardian's skill.

I made another set of swirls on Laboon's back and she quickly responded, creating another whirlpool. This time, the current engulfed Relicanth, spinning him about, keeping him dazed. This was my chance.

I retrieved a Dive Ball from my pack, perfectly suited to this type of capture, and pushed it into the whirlpool.

Within seconds, the entire whirlpool glowed red. When it dissipated, all that remained was the Dive Ball, suspended in the water. I took it in my hand, satisfied. I praised Laboon greatly. This was the find of the century, not to mention a strong fighter.

We left the rest of the Relicanth hidden. We had our catch. I was so happy, I almost forgot to name the thing. "Toto." fit nicely. (Lv.35)

We continued exploring, finding other treasures in the depths.

We came upon another cave, much like the one that Team Magma had found. It was a small cave, but it had an opening near the surface.

I could tell because the light was extra violent in this area. We decided to surface.

It was worse than before. The light, the heat. Everything was white. Where were we?

-Sootopolis City-

We were in some sort of city. The entire area was surrounded by rock walls and all of the homes were built into the very stone.

I recalled Laboon and went on foot. All of the doors were locked, even the Pokemon center.

No one was home. Was this a ghost town? I explored further.

No, the houses were kept up nicely and there were trees and freshly cut grass in one area. Someone had to be around.

Despite the heat, I venture higher on the rocks. Soon, I heard a voice.

"Law!" It was Steven. "You came, too, even under this scorching sun?" He turned to the man he had been talking to.

"This is Wallace. He is this town's gym leader." The man nodded.

"I am also responsible for the protection of the Cave of Origin."

His words struck something in me. The Cave of Origin. The place where Pokemon spirits are resurrected!? That hermit lady wasn't crazy after all!

"This eternal light," he continued "is caused by some sort of power emanating from the Cave of Origin."

"This is because of the awakening of Groudon!" I interrupted. "And because the Orbs were separated." I produced my Red Orb.

"I see." Wallace and Steven observed closely, "Come with me."

He led us to the Cave of Origin, explaining that no one from Sootopolis was allowed inside.

Because I wasn't from Sootopolis and because I held the Red Orb, I had to go.

"Wait, me!? Why not Steven! He's far more exper-" I was cut off.

"I know you can do it, Law." Steven took my shoulders. "Your Pokemon. You have such a bond with them. I dare say you have already surpassed me in many areas." Our gaze met for a moment and I steeled my resolve.

"Alright. I'll go."

-The Cave of Origin-

The cave was simple. Very straightforward, but it was filled with incredibly strong Pokemon.

I caught a Mawile, "Bonney" (Lv.30) I had seen them in the Granite Cave in Dewford, but none this strong.

I ventured deeper. Golbat littered the area. It was all we could do to fend them off.

Every few steps, the entire cavern shook with an awesome force. What had I gotten myself into.

Deep within the cavern, steam filled the air. It was exactly like the lair where I met Maxie for our final duel,

the cave where he attempted to awaken his beast. I felt an uneasy familiarity.

I came upon a pool of lava, just like before. And just like before, there was a large object standing in the middle of the lake.

This time, however, it was no statue. It was a living, breathing behemoth.

It was as red as the lava in which it stood, its scales like armor with black flesh beneath.

Its cruel yellow eyes pierced the steam, glowing maliciously.

It spotted me.

A thunderous roar filled the cavern. I covered my ears in shock.

The beast came forward, looming over me. Groudon, the Pokemon of the Land.

Every ounce of logic and reason within me urged me to turn and run, but my legs would not obey.

Strangely enough, neither did my will. I knew it would be safer to run, but I knew more that this was my duty.

As if echoing my thoughts, the Red Orb began to glow. This was it.

The beast attacked, but my reflexes were ready. I bounded out of the way, reaching for a Pokeball.

I was at a disadvantage for this battle, only carrying four usable Pokemon.

There was no way Toto or Laboon were fighting in these conditions.

Kumadori came to my aid. He had quickly grown accustomed to his fully evolved form and was faster and stronger than ever.

"Fake Out." As always, Kumadori got the first shot, speeding in front of the beast and smacking him in the head, stunning him momentarily.

While Groudon regained his composure, Kumadori formed a Shadow Ball.

By this point, his body and Fukurou's soul were one and his ghostly abilities were stable.

However, the attack still took much of his stamina to perform. It worked beautifully.

Groudon was knocked out of balance back into the Lava. It wasn't enough to destroy him, though.

He was back on his feet in moments, readying his own attack.

He spun around and slammed his mighty tail into the ground, causing the very Earth to Quake.

Kumadori had plenty of balance and took the attack well.

"Kumadori, Extrasensory!" Shiftry's eyes began to glow once more as he readied his mind.

Groudon stopped moving, feeling Kumadori's Psychic energy upon him.

The beast was far too big, however, and did not succumb to our attack.

He reared his head back, readying his own strike. Groudon unleashed a glorious ring of fire, burning through the air, toward Kumadori.

The attack engulfed him. I tried to call out, but it was no use. "Kumadori, return!" I was able to save my friend before it was too late.

What was that attack? Why was it so powerful?

Then I remembered the sun. Even though it was nowhere to be seen within this cave, it was still affecting everything under the atmosphere right now.

Groudon had used its Fire Blast to take advantage of the sun's power.

"Coby." Ninjask appeared, already ready to fight. "Double Team."

Coby obeyed, forming several mirages of himself while flying circles around the beast.

Groudon looked confused for a moment, but didn't take kindly to our tricks.

He reared his head back again, readying another Fire Blast.

"Coby, Aerial Ace!" In an instant, Coby was at Groudon's throat, causing a significantly sized gash in the beast's weak underside.

In response, however, Groudon unleashed his counter attack on the speedy insect, engulfing him in flames as well.

"Coby, return!" I wasn't going to take any chances on my friends fighting this creature.

None of them deserved death at the cost of something I didn't even care about.

"Killer. Swords Dance." Killer nodded and began to focus his attack power.

Groudon tried to fire off another ring of fire at him, but Killer was too quick. "Slash! Aim for his belly."

Killer dashed forward, leaping into the air and slashing vertically, across where Coby had hit.

The attack worked perfectly and Groudon backed up, shaking the ground with each step.

Killer regrouped for another attack, but Groudon just stood there. Was that it?

"Law." Killer spoke to my mind. "Something terrible is about to occur."

I didn't know what he meant, but I knew that Absol had the ability to cause and predict disasters. I would have to stay alert.

I focused on Groudon and its stance. Soon, I realized what it was doing.

I recognized its behavior from back with my fight with Brawly. It was Bulking Up.

It was stiffening its muscles to increase its power and defensive capabilities.

"Quick, don't let it finish. Slash again!" Killer dashed forward once more, but Groudon was ready with a Slash of his own.

He swung a mighty clawed arm downward, meeting Killer with a mighty blow.

Killer hit the ground, his body limp.

I ran to him, crouching down quickly, beside him. He was still breathing! Just unconscious. "Killer, return."

"Tashigi!" I called out my most powerful Pokemon. My dragon emerged, flying into the air, ready to battle.

"Crunch!" Tashigi swiftly obeyed, flying forward to leave a huge gash in Groudon's arm. She was powerful enough to damage the beast, even through his Bulked Up armor.

Groudon roared in pain, bringing his other arm around for another swipe. Tashigi was far too agile for that and flew up into the air.

She dove down from the cavern ceiling, building up momentum to ram into Groudon's already weakened underbelly.

Groudon staggered back, as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

Tashigi flew back around, awaiting another command.

Groudon began to regain his composure and reared his head back once more.

I recognized its stance and was already ready with a counterattack.

"Tashigi. Fire Blast." Tashigi unleashed a huge ball of fire to meet Groudon's.

The two flames met, forcing against each other in midair.

Neither Pokemon would give and the fire grew hotter and hotter, streaming from each Pokemon's throat.

Groudon was craftier than I imagined and began to lumber forward, pushing its own Fire Blast closer and closer to Tashigi.

My Flygon landed to keep her stance, pushing more power into her attack. "Come on, Tashigi, you can do it!"

Closer and closer, the beast of the land moved until he was right up on the edge of the land.

In an instant, he ceased his fire attack and ducked down, dodging the oncoming flames.

His downward momentum was used in a horizontal sweep of his arm, catching Tashigi off-guard and slamming her into the wall.

"No!" I couldn't believe it. Even after all of my strategy and planning, the beast was still fighting.

Flygon fell to the ground, gasping for air. "Tashigi, return."

That's it, then. Its finished. I looked up at the giant beast, its glowing eyes seeming to focus directly on me.

I knew what would happen next. There was no escape. Laboon and Toto were useless out of water and my other Pokemon were too near death to continue fighting. Even if Groudon killed me, at least my Pokemon would be safe within their balls.

I closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate.

Suddenly, groudon unleashed an agonized roar! I opened my eyes to see the beast thrashing about.

It was reaching behind it, swatting at its own back. Something was attacking it!

I backed up, attempting to see, but it was too steamy.

Finally, Groudon was able to shake off its attacker. It landed a few feet in front of me. A Linoone.

It turned to look up at me. "Y- Yosaku!" I was astounded.

"How did you get here!? Never mind that, we can't fight that thing. We have to get out of here!"

Yosaku turned his head, snorting at me. "Yosaku, please."

Groudon turned toward us and began charging. It was enraged!

"Yosaku!" The beast tore down on us, slamming its heavy hand toward my Linoone.

"Return!" My command was reflexive; I didn't even have Yosaku's Pokeball.

Instead, something amazing happened. Yosaku stood strong, resisting the giant's attack!

"Your Linoone is using the attack called Return." a familiar voice came from the entrance of the cavern.

It was May! "The more your Pokemon loves you, the stronger this attack is. As you can see, Yosaku loves you very much."

I looked from her, back to Yosaku. It was true; this attack was insanely strong.

Yosaku pushed back the monster's mighty claw and the beast tumbled backwards into the lava.

As it rose back to its feet, Yosaku charged again, slamming into it with a superpowered force.

Again, Groudon attempted to stand. Before Yosaku could attack a third time, the cavern began to shake.

"Is it using Earthquake?" I thought out loud. Rocks began to fall from the ceiling. One fell near Yosaku, several fell into the lava.

"Law! This entire cavern is collapsing! We have to get out, now!" May yelled.

I looked back and ran, instead, toward my Pokemon. "Yosaku, come on!" It tore its attention from Groudon and started towards me, limping.

He was still hurt!?

I ran faster, dodging falling stones to pick up my Linoone. I took him in my arms and started back toward May and the exit.

"Come on!" She yelled.

During all this, Groudon looked around confused. It attempted to break some of the falling stones, but they soon became too much for it.

I reached the exit quickly, following May up the way we came. I took one last look back.

Groudon's yellow eyes pierced the steam. I could see his outline still fighting the collapse.

May pulled me away, forcing me to focus on escape.

It took a while to safely navigate the cave, but we reached the exit intact.

Outside, the sunlight had subsided. In fact, everything was calm.

Steven and Wallace were there, ready for debriefing.

They took May and me to a house, presumably Wallace's, and sat us down to rest. I still held Yosaku in my arms.

He had already begun the resting process and was closing his eyes. I was so proud of him. He had fended off that giant beast so skillfully.

"What do you think caused the cave to collapse?" May turned to me.

I thought for a moment before it hit me. "Killer." I whispered.

"What?"

"Absol is known as the Disaster Pokemon. When he was fighting, he predicted a disaster. He said something terrible would happen.

I bet he was talking about the collapse."

"You have an Absol?" May was stunned. That's right. I caught him just after our last encounter.

She seemed a bit worried. "Simply having that Pokemon out during the battle was very risky. His very presence probably caused the collapse, not just the predicting of it."

"I think both hypotheses are correct." Wallace interjected. "Absol has an ability called Future Sight.

It commands an attack that doesn't happen right away. It's fantastic for catching opponents off-guard.

I submit that your Absol is quite powerful and did indeed cause the collapse without even realizing it. He predicted a disaster and a disaster happened. There's no way to tell whether the collapse would have occurred had Absol not made an appearance." He smiled.

"I think you should just thank your lucky stars that you defeated Groudon and made it out alive."

Steven nodded in agreement.

"Well, thats all good." I said, "But my Pokemon are exhausted." I looked down at Yosaku.

"Can I take them to the Pokemon Center?"

Steven stood up, "I will take them for you. You stay here and rest."

"No." I stood. I need to take them myself.

"Alright" Steven smiled, "We'll be here whenever you're finished."

I nodded and got up to go.

"I'll go with you." May stood to follow me. I let her.

On the way to the Center, I asked her how she knew where I was.

She explained to me that when the sky turned bright and hot, she immediately flew back to Littleroot.

She had spoken with Birch who had explained what he thought was going on.

When Yosaku found out she was coming to find me, he insisted on coming with her, despite his still-injured leg.

He wouldn't let her leave without him.

She handed me a Pokeball. "I believe this belongs to you."  
I took it and smiled. "Thank you." I returned Yosaku to his ball just as we reached the Center.

I left my Pokemon with the nurse and we took a seat to talk some more.

I spent a few days relaxing, sometimes going to explore the city by myself. The last thing on my mind was asking anything of my Pokemon.

They had earned themselves a good, long rest.

May had already left to report back to her dad. I wish she had stayed a bit longer.

I talked with the townspeople and learned a lot that I didn't know.

They told me how Sootopolis came to be, about how an underwater volcano got pushed above sea level and filled with rainwater.

One told me about his training in Sootopolis and that he would gladly train any of my Pokemon for me in return for my defeating Groudon.

Another told me of a cave underwater near here that was probably filled with treasure!

Two of them were arguing about whether a Shroomish or a Barboach was bigger. I truly didn't know, but I was happy to see life had returned to normal for these people. I guess it wasn't so bad, all of the bad happened in a single day.

I neared the gym where Steven was standing outside.

He congratulated me once again and told me that Wallace was waiting for me inside.

I told him I wasn't ready to face a Gym Leader just yet. He understood.

I wanted to do a bit of exploring, maybe find that treasure cave or something.

I wanted to see some more of the region before facing the final gym leader.

I felt like once I fought him, if I won, then I would feel obligated to challenge the Elite Four soon after, and I certainly wasn't ready for that.

We dove down and out of Sootopolis, traveling south.

Surprisingly enough there wasn't a lot of deep water to be found. I traveled east and was stopped by a giant waterfall. There was no way around it and certainly no way to go up, so we turned back.

-Pacifidlog Town-

We came upon a quaint little town floating on logs. Or so I thought.

I spoke with some of the townspeople and learned that the entire town was built atop a Corsola reef. How interesting.

There were interesting rumors here as well.

Some old men were talking about a Mirage Island that only showed up under certain weather conditions.

A little girl exclaimed about a Sky Pokemon that never landed.

A father figure spoke of three Pokemon of Ice, Rock, and Steel that were dormant below the earth.

These were the types of things I wanted to occupy myself with.

I gathered intel and learned that somewhere to the west, amidst the raging currents, was a deep hole, where secrets were sure to hide.

-Route 134-

It definitely took some searching, but Johnny was able to help me with his innate treasure hunting skills to find the spot where the currents swirled around and round. The middle of the whirlpool, however, was calm. It looked deep. I held tight to Laboon and we dove down.

Within the depths was a huge chamber. It was the biggest room I had ever seen.

We found a large rock with a strange encryption on it. It was just dots, but they were arranged quite deliberately.

There were no clues as to what it said, but there was light coming from above, so we decided to surface.

-Sealed Chamber-

We emerged in a cave filled with some sort of runes. The same dots from before littered every rock wall in the cave.

The cave itself was almost as big as the room we had just been in.

We ventured deeper until we hit a wall. These dots were bigger and seemed to be arranged into a pattern.

I released Kumadori to take a look.

"It's braille." He explained. "I can read it, though. It says, "Dig Here."

I stood back, "So start digging." He turned raising a brow, "Surely you jest. These ruins are probably thousands of years old, what makes you think any sort of mechanism would..."

"Just do it." I smiled.

He sighed and reached down to begin to dig. One scoop of dirt displaced and part of the wall fell away!

"Whoa." We both stepped back as the rocks fell.

"You see!?" Kumadori exclaimed, "We just destroyed valuable history because of you."  
I ignored him and looked closer. "There's a room behind here."

The room had more glyphs covering the rocks and another huge rock at the back, scribbled with the braille runes.

Kumadori explored the little rocks while I went straight to the back of the room.

"Law, this is amazing!" Kumadori started, "These rocks tell of an ancient People who lived together with Pokemon.

'We owed all to it.' But they feared it." He translated. "'So we sealed it away.' I wonder who IT is."

I shrugged, still looking at the large rock, as if I had any idea what it said. "Kumadori, come read this one."

He came closer and looked at it for a bit. "This one doesn't seem to have anything to do with the others."

"What does it say."

"It says, 'First comes Relicanth, Last comes Wailord.'" He looked it over for any more clues.

"Relicanth and Wailord..." I thought for a bit and took two Pokeballs from my belt.

"What are you doing?" Kumadori turned, "You can't release those here, there's no water."

I ignored him and released my two Pokemon. "Toto, Laboon, Come out."

Relicanth and Wailmer came out, but instead of landing on the ground like Kumadori expected, the entire room was bathed in a blue light and the two Water Pokemon began swimming around in midair.

Kumadori and I looked on in wonder. Toto swam up to me before darting around the room.

Wailmer spun around, enjoying herself before swimming closer to me. I reached out to touch her, but just before my fingers would reach her, she began so change.

She grew larger, larger, and larger still, nearly filling the room with her size. She was evolving into a Wailord.

Toto swam up beside me and Kumadori to watch with us as we stared in awe at her great stature. "Laboon!" I smiled, "Look at you."

She began to sing and twirl around (which was really the only movement she was capable of at this point).

Toto swam up to her and the red spot on his side began to glow.

"We are witnessing something amazing, Law." Kumadori stared, "I am sorry for doubting you."

I shrugged him off; I knew he meant nothing by it.

"I don't think this was just coincidence," he continued, "Braille is the alphabet for those who cannot see and Laboon has been blind from birth.

Law, I think this was predetermined. It was fate that you befriended Laboon and found this cavern." I think he was right.

Soon, Laboon completed her song and the ground began to shake.

We braced ourselves against the rock, "I am getting so sick of earthquakes!" It didn't last long, though and soon the blue began to fade from the room.

My Water Pokemon began to sink toward the ground. I recalled them back to their Pokeballs before anything else could happen.

"What was that?" Kumadori wondered, going back to the runes to see if there was anything he missed.

"I'm not sure, but ruins in this region seem to have a strange effect on Pokemon. The last ruins we found caused Tashigi to evolve twice."

It was only then that I noticed the layout of the room. "Kumadori!" He turned to look at me.

"I think the two are related." I walked to the center of the room,

"These six rocks are in the exact formation of the ones in the monuments above ground!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" I smirked, recalling him to his Pokeball.

I left the room and dove back down into the water.

I now realize why this room had been so big. It had to accommodate something as large as a Wailord.

Riding on Laboon now was much different and much faster. She was so big, it was hard to communicate with her, but she did just fine.

We surfaced and I replaced Laboon as my mount with Tashigi. We flew back to the desert to find the ruins where I had met her.

-Desert Ruins-

We landed just outside the giant monument. Just as I thought, there was now an opening where I figured there should have been one last time.

We entered cautiously. Inside, there was nothing but a large room and more braille.

Kumadori translated: "Right, Right, Down, Down, Then use Strength." He seemed puzzled by the simplicity.  
I released Johnny, and told him where to go. "Use your boulder-moving power to press down on the ground itself."

He obeyed. As he pressed, the wall of braille fell away, just like before.

"I wish our puzzle solving wasn't destroying so much precious history." Kumdori snorted.

"Calm down," I entered the new opening, "whoever built these obviously put these mechanisms here to-" I froze.

Within the new cavern was a huge golem. It was brown and dark orange, the colors of the desert.

It was surrounded by six smaller rocks in the same fashion as the ruins in which it was housed.

It also had seven dots on what I presumed to be its face, reminiscent of the braille letters. "What does that say?" I whispered to Kumadori.

Before he could respond, the beast awoke with a strange roar.

It was a violent beast, and it began to pick up the rocks around it and throw them at us. "Kumadori, Fake Out."

He dashed forward. The big lummox was strong, but it was pretty slow because of its bulk. It was easily knocked back a few steps by Shiftry's attack.

"Kumadori, come back." Kumadori returned to my side and I released a different Pokemon.

"Go, Lasso!" My Manectric showed itself, ready for battle. "Bite."

The little beast ran forward, dodging the thrown rocks to take a large chunk out of the golem's arm. Lasso's teeth were very strong.

The creature began doing something else, it began to move slower and slower. "What's going on?"

"Its cursing itself." Kumadori explained. "Law, you must be careful. Its moving more slowly now, but its attacks will be much more powerful!"

"Fine, we'll just take it down in one hit. Thunder!" Manectric obeyed, letting out a mighty roar as a bolt of electricity left his body and engulfed the beast.

The rock golem began to move erratically. Not only was it slow, but every few seconds, it would stop completely.

"Good job, Lasso. You paralyzed it!" Manectric barked in response.

It was too soon to be celebrating however. Out of nowhere, the golem unleashed a huge ball of energy straight at Lasso.

Not even Manectric was quick enough to dodge and he was engulfed in the attack. "Lasso!" I shouted.

The attack subsided and Manectric was still standing, but it was hurt. I returned him to his Pokeball.

"This isn't going to work." I tried to think.

"There's no time, Law." Kumadori took to the battlefield. "Lets just destroy it!" He readied a Shadow Ball.  
"Kumadori, no! This isn't Groudon, he doesn't deserve it. WE woke HIM up. He has every right to be angry."

I couldn't use Killer and risk another cave collapse.

"Tashigi, I need you to distract him." Flygon emerged and began flying around the small cavern.

There wasn't much room, but she maneuvered well enough. She dodged flying rocks and blasts of energy with masterful grace.

Between her and Kumadori, the great rock was unable to battle effectively.

Soon, I readied one of the Great Balls that Devon had given me. The golem was still a Pokemon after all.

It was getting tired out, fighting Kumadori and Tashigi, I could tell. I hurled the Great Ball and the great creature was trapped inside.

However, it broke out. "Great." I rolled my eyes. What crap was Devon putting out.

This happened several more times, each time the great creature broke out of my Pokeball.

I had used up all of the regular balls and all of Devon's Great balls as well.

Dive balls and everything else I had was useless. The only thing I had left was an Ultra Ball that Johnny had found in the grass for me.

I threw it at the beast and sure enough, it caught. The Ball rested on the ground, calm.

Tashigi landed and Kumadori approached slowly. "Good job, guys." I picked up the Ultra Ball.

"Some company Devon is. Their product doesn't even match up to something Johnny found in the grass." I rolled my eyes.

"Urouge" the Regirock (Lv.40) was sent to Birch with a warning of power.

It was time to head off to the next monument.

-Island Cave-

Lasso would need a rest after getting hit with a full-on Superpower like that. Everyone else was fine.

I would obviously need quick Pokemon to take on any more golems like Regirock.

I would also need to stock up on more Ultra Balls, so I hit the Dept. Store in Lilycove for some merchandise.

They had a lot of other kinds of Pokeballs as well, so I bought a few different kinds.

I revamped my party at this point to include plenty of speedy fighters, Johnny, and a backup in case they didn't work.

Unfortunately, I couldn't risk using Killer at the cost of another disaster.

We flew back to the Island where we had seen the second monument and just like the first, the door had been opened.

We entered and approached the braille wall. Kumadori translated: 'Stop and Wait. Wait for Time to Pass Twice.'

So we waited. Soon, the wall just crumbled away on its own. A cool wind poured from the opening.

We stepped through, cautiously.

Just as before, there was another golem. This one, too, had seven dots on its face.

However, instead of being made of desert rocks, this one was made completely of ice.

*Regice!* This one's voice was almost recognizable. But just as before, it was enraged and began to attack!

This golem behaved in relatively the same way as Regirock had. It began hurling rocks at us.

"Mr. 5!" I called out Electrode. Paralyzing the golem worked well enough last time, so I figured this time would be fine as well.

"Spark!" Mr. 5 rolled around the cavern, dodging the falling rocks and charging electricity.

It rolled close enough to pass off its charge to Regice. The ice golem shook with the attack, but it didn't slow down.

Instead, it reached around and grabbed ahold of Electrode, slamming it down into a rock.

Unfortunately for it, simply making contact with Electrode was enough to take a paralyzing charge.

I recalled Mr. 5. Our strategy didn't work perfectly, but it worked nonetheless.

"Kumadori!" Shiftry emerged to fight. He smacked the Ice golem around a bit before using its Psychic powers to hold the creature in place.

I readied another Ultra Ball. Soon, though, the entire cave was filled with an Icy Wind. I began feeling sleepy, as did Kumadori.

He lost his hold on the creature and it launched a Superpower at him. The wind had taken its toll on his mobility and he was unable to dodge!

I had to call him back to his Pokeball.

"Tashigi, heat this place up. Fire Blast!" My dragon emerged and quickly flew around the cave, setting fire to the very rocks themselves.

"Good job, now attack Regice with it!" She focused her flame on the ice golem.

The creature backed away from the flames and began to slow down. "Damnit! Its Cursing itself!"

It was increasing its power by decreasing its speed, just like Regirock.

"Tashigi, Crunch!" She altered her flight pattern and charged the creature.

Before she could strike though, Regice focused its Icy Wind directly at her.

Her wings frosted over and she fell to the ground, covered in ice. "Tashigi, return."

This wasn't working out as well as I thought.

Speed had worked marvelously against Regirock, but Regice was far more adept at slowing its opponents down with its Ice powers.

Despite that, the beast WAS weakening.

"Coby, Double Team."

Ninjask emerged and immediately began creating copies of itself.

Regice would attempt to throw rocks at the bug as well as wisps of Ice, but everything it would hit just dissolved.

Between its misfires and its paralysis, Coby was soon too much for it.

"Coby, Slash!" The doubles all charged Regice, but it was ready.

It conjured the wind to encircle it, destroying doubles left and right as they go too close.

"Stop!" Coby didn't get any closer. "This isn't working." I returned Coby to his ball. He couldn't withstand an Ice attack like the others had.

Tashigi had just barely survived as it was. I had one last idea to try. If speed didn't work...

"Smoker." I called out my fire tortoise.

Regice attempted to conjure its Icy Wind to attack him, but it was futile. Smoker's natural body heat dissipated the ice before it could come close.

"Overheat." Torkoal took a deep breath, heating up his own body. The cave quickly turned from unbearably cold to warm, to unbearably hot.

Regice fell to its knees, unable to stand the sudden temperature change.

I threw another Ultra Ball, pulling the beast inside. The ball dropped to the ground without a fight. I called him "Ao Kiji" (Lv.40)

"Good job, Smoker!" The heat left the room and Torkoal wagged his butt, happily, smiling.

I recalled him to his ball and left the cave.

There was one cave left, but my Pokemon were far worse off this time around.

Besides, what would be the final golem?

Then it hit me, the legend I had heard of in Pacifidlog. Monsters of Rock, Ice, and Steel. The final Pokemon was going to be a golem of steel.

I exited the cave just in time to see the sun set over the horizon.

It would have to wait until morning. That was fine. My Pokemon would need a good rest anyway.

I spent some time training and practicing before deciding to face the third golem.

I was sure as hell going to be prepared for anything this time around.

Be it speed or cunning or something else, this Steel beast wasn't going to get the best of me.

I picked my team carefully before heading to Route 120.

-Ancient Tomb-

Identical to the other two caves, this one had a braille inscription on the wall.

Kumadori had taught me a bit and I was able to translate it myself (with a little help).

The letters spelled out, 'With New Time, Hope and Love, Aim to the Sky in the Middle.'

It wasn't difficult to figure out what it meant. I released Tashigi and told her to Fly straight up from the middle of the room.

She obeyed and the door opened.

Within was the final giant monster. This one was smooth, round on top, and made completely of steel.

It also had seven dots arranged on its face, unique like each of the others.

This one looked like its arms were more maneuverable as well.

When it awakened, I was ready for it. I knew exactly what to do.

The first thing I did was take out a small white ball with a Timer on it. I twisted the timer to 20 and set it on the ground.

It would activate in 20 minutes, capturing the beast with no problem. I just needed to stall and weaken Registeel before it activated.

"Kumadori, Fake Out." Registeel tried to attack, but Kumadori was all over it, slapping it around.

Before it could retaliate, Kumadori was already back in his ball.

"Tashigi, Fire Blast!" Flygon flew around the cavern, just as before, aiming a deadly fireball at the beast.

The creature flailed about, throwing rocks and firing off energy balls, but never connecting.

I had been through this too many times not to be prepared.

"Tashigi, return. Ao Kiji, Icy Wind."

I released my newest golem to fight directly with its brethren. It appeared in the room with a cry, blasting its numbing frost all throughout the cave.

Ice began to cake onto the steel beast, but it slammed its hands against the wall, breaking the frost off of it before it could solidify.

"Keep it up, Ao Kiji." I stood back, watching calmly.

The battle ended up becoming a hand-to-hand fight and Steel was strong over Ice.

"Urouge, help out." My Ice golem was replaced by my Rock one. "Curse." Urouge bolstered his defenses and increased his attack, ready for battle.

Unfortunately, Steel had the upper hand on Rock, too. I wasn't going to give up that easily, though. Everything was still going according to plan.

I had studied up on my type matchups and knew good and well that Ice and Rock were weak to Steel. That's why I brought a secret weapon.

When Urouge tired from the battle, it was time to bring it out. "Take the stage, Bon Clay."

A fully evolved Medicham appeared before me, striking a battle stance. "Registeel is weak, knock it down with a Hi Jump Kick."

Bon Clay nodded, leaping through the air with great agility. It struck the beast in the dead center of its face, sending it clamoring to the ground.

As if on cue, the Timer Ball made a ding sound and I threw it with all my strength.

The Ball connected soundly and sucked the final golem inside. It landed, shook for a while as Registeel fought to get out, but finally came to rest.

"Capt. Kidd" (Lv.40) had been strong, but was no match for me.

"Fantastic job, Bon Clay." Medicham nodded with a grin, crossing his arms.

It was time to face a certain gym leader.

-Sootopolis Gym-

Wallace specialized in Water Pokemon, but his gym was filled with ice. Thin ice.

I had to step lightly in order to navigate this treacherous puzzle.

I fell through several times and was bombarded by the gym members who worked under him.

Lasso and I took them down with no problem.

When I finally reached Wallace, he greeted me warmly, contrasting his cold, cold gym.

"There's something about you." He started, "A difference in your demeanor.

I am grateful for your help involving what happened in the Cave of Origin. I wish, now, to test that power.

Show me. Show me the power you wield with your Pokemon.

And I, in turn, shall present you with a performance of illusions in water!"

He released his first Pokemon, a small heart-shaped fish. A Luvdisc.

As it emerged, the entire room turned blue, just like what had happened in the cave. I looked around astounded.

"You seem surprised by this ability," Wallace commented, "However, I sense that this is not the first time you have witnessed it."

"No. I have seen it once before." I gripped my Pokeball, releasing Manectric.

"Go, Lasso! Spark!" The electric lion ran through the blue air, jumping to pass off its electric charge to Luvdisc.

The fish took the attack, but didn't succumb.

"You are very lucky to have witnessed this phenomenon, Law. Only the strongest Water Pokemon trainers can control it.

Now, Luvdisc, Attract." The small heart swam down and passed in front of Manectric, releasing some sort of pheromone.

Manectric instantly lost its will to fight. It began following around the fish like a puppy.

"Lasso..." It was no use.

"I felt you would bring Electric type Pokemon in here, Law. Everyone tries that strategy on me and I always shut them down. Sweet Kiss, Luvdisc."

The little creature swam up to Lasso, pecking him on the cheek. He began to swoon, nearly falling to the ground at one point.

"Lasso. Snap out of it! Use Spark, now!" Lasso seemed to be attempting to shake it off, but it was having trouble.

"Sorry, Law, but if this is what you brought to the table, perhaps you should give up now."

"Forget it!" Lasso roared, shaking off his enamor and charged straight ahead. "Thunder!"

Manectric fired a lightning bolt into the air that danced around as he ran.

He wasn't aiming at all because of his attraction to Luvdisc. Nonetheless, the lightning found her.

"Yes!" I laughed as Lasso shook off his attraction.

"Aww, come back sweetie. You did well. Law, try this one. Whiscash!"

A huge catfish emerged into the air-water.

"Of course we will! Thunder again!" Manectric let out another roar, this time focusing all of its energy into the lightning's power!

The whiskered Pokemon took the full force of the attack! However, when the electricity cleared, it didn't have an ounce of scorched flesh.

"Care to try again?" Wallace laughed. "Here, I'll help you. Whiscash, Rain Dance."

Whiscash swam around the room and the watery air began drizzling. It was an interesting sight.

It was if the air was already filled with water, but rain was occurring at the same time.

"I'm not stupid, Wallace. I can tell your Pokemon is part Ground Type."

"You certainly are perceptive. Earthquake."

I recalled Manectric before he could feel the force of the foe's attack.

"I think not. Kumadori!" My living tree emerged with a snarl. "What is your command?"

"Fake Out, of course." Kumadori leaped through the air with ease, smacking the large fish to the ground.

"How crude." Wallace frowned.

"Shadow Ball." Kumadori smirked and formed his dark energy in his hands.

"You want to see crude?" He spoke directly to Wallace before firing off his energy at the stunned fish.

"Whiscash!" His Pokemon was still up and kicking. "Ah, see? It will take more than that to defeat me. Earthquake!"

Whiscash swam at full force toward the ground, slamming into it with great power.

Kumadori and I had experienced plenty of earthquakes in our time, however, and this was nothing.

"Kumadori, jump and use Extrasensory!" Shiftry obeyed and bypassed the earthquake, using his Psychic powers to lift Whiscash into the air.

"Your Shiftry is quite skilled in many arts, Law."

"You ain't seen nothin' yet! Brick Break!" Kumadori held Whiscash in place in midair as he jumped, high above.

He came smashing down, slamming his leg into Whiscash's immobile form, knocking it to the ground.

It flopped around a bit before passing out. "Whiscash, return."

I called back Kumadori, too. I was so proud.

During training, we had taken up the Sootopolis trainer on his offer and he had taught Kumadori and Bon Clay some special fighting moves.

They had apparently come in handy.

"Lasso." I called out Manectric again, as long as it was raining, his Thunder attack would be deadly accurate.

Wallace seemed peeved. I assumed he used those first two Pokemon to weed out and eliminate any Electric types his opponents might have.

Lasso, however, was still at full power.

Wallace's Sealeo and Seaking both went down quickly, each taking a direct hit from Manectric's Thunder.

"Last one." Wallace frowned. "Milotic, baby. Come out."

"Oh, shit." My past flashed before me. Burgess's killer. I remembered how powerful and deadly this creature was.

"You seem to have a familiarity with this creature as well." Wallace was good at studying my reactions.

"You are right to fear it. Milotic-"

Before he could give a command, I called out. "Lasso, Thunder!"

Manectric began a charge, firing off another lightning strike like it had been doing.

This one, however, did not hit Milotic. Instead, it struck the ceiling high above, doing no damage to Wallace's Pokemon.

It was only then that I realized it had stopped raining.

"Such a pity. Without my precious Rain, your Thunder strikes aren't nearly as useful" Wallace laughed.

I only smirked. Wallace looked at me, ceasing his laughter at the sight of my visage.

"Why are you smiling? Your Pokemon is about to die. Milotic-"

"Lasso," I interrupted him again, "Rain Dance."

Manectric howled into the air and the still water began to drizzle again, just like before.

"Oh no." Wallace's face turned white. "Milotic, Water Pulse!"

The beautiful creature swam in a perfect circle, firing a shockwave through the water, at Lasso.

It was quite powerful, but not enough to bring him down.

"Thunder." Lasso roared and tried his attack again. This time, the bolt connected with a crack, electrocuting the oppnonent.

"Milotic!" She floated to the ground, body scorched. "No!" She wasn't down, though.

She righted herself, breathing hard. "Recover!" Wallace commanded.

Before my eyes, the scorches from the attack began to disappear. I was astounded.

"Now, my beauty, have your revenge, Twister!" Milotic swam forth, swiftly, and began to encircle Manectric.

I couldn't get what happened to Burgess out of my head. "No." I whispered, clutching my head.

I watched as Milotic gripped tight around Lasso, beginning to squeeze.

I wouldn't have it. "Thunder!" Lasso turned a bright white, releasing every volt of electricity from his body in one last-ditch effort.

Because Milotic was so close, the attack didn't have anywhere to go, but to her.

She took the full force of a point blank Thunder attack.

Her grip on Lasso weakened and they both fell to the ground.

The blue atmosphere dissipated and Wallace approached his Pokemon. Milotic was still breathing.

"I dont understand." He turned to me. "An attack like that should have killed my Pokemon. But here she is," a tear fell down his cheek, "alive."

I nodded, walked to the Pokemon as well, lifting Manectric out from the embrace, returning him to his Pokeball.

"My Pokemon and I," I took a deep breath, "we don't believe in the unnecessary killing of our opponents." Wallace raised a brow.

"We have trained long and hard to learn how to hold back our full power.

As you witnessed, even a fully charged, point-blank Thunder attack was deadened by my Manectric, ensuring that your Pokemon would not die."

For once, Wallace was speechless.

"And we aren't the only ones practicing this method of battle. Tate and Liza, from Mossdeep City are also against killing."

"I understand," he looked up at me, smiling. "That makes sense. Steven was right about you. You're definitely destined for greatness."

Wallace returned his Pokemon happily and we spoke some more. I told him how I would rise to the top and become the League Champion.

From there, I would use my influence to change the way trainers battled.

There was a time when I thought all battling should cease, but that was selfish thinking. Pokemon are natural fighters.

They need the atmosphere of battle to survive and grow.

I've learned time and time again that Pokemon are happier when they fight.

Some can never reach their full potential, even, unless they battle alongside a loving trainer.

"Well done, Law." Wallace applauded. "I now see your authenticity as a trainer."

Normally, he gave trainers who defeated him a special technique, but he felt that was beneath me.

Instead, he told me how to bypass the waterfall to the east to reach Ever Grande City.

As an added bonus, because he saw such potential in me, he told me the location of a very special Pokemon.

I took the information gladly. I would have to backtrack a bit to find the creature, but after that, I would be on my way to the top!

One entire month passed and I was ready to take on Victory Road and the Elite Four.

We had trained long and hard to reach this point and weren't going to give up any time soon.

Victory road was nothing to us. We navigated it easily and defeated any trainer foolish enough to challenge us.

However, just as we were about to reach the exit, we were stopped by a stern voice. "Law!"

I turned, eager to see who called me by name. I had disappeared for a while so it was unusual for anyone to recognize me.

It was Wally.

The sickly young boy ran up to me. Except he wasn't sickly anymore. His stride, his voice, everything about him was stronger.

"Law, I've been waiting a long time for this." I listened expectantly.

"I was ready to face the elite four over a week ago, but I couldn't do it.

I couldn't bring myself even to enter the building.

I knew that even though I had defeated all of the gym leaders and obtained their badges,

I had no business challenging the Elite Four if I hadn't yet bested you, Law.

I knew that if I waited here, you would come eventually."

I walked forward and put my hands on his shoulders. There were so few people I connected with on this journey.

Norman. Steven.

I felt a bit of pride when it came to Wally. All he had needed was a little push.

Now it was time to see what became of that little push.

Last time we fought, I was able to weaken his Pokemon with ease. I had refused to kill them though.

Now I would see what had become of his team. The winner would go on to face the Elite Four!

Vs. Sidney

"Welcome, challenger! I'm Sidney of the E4.

I like that look you're giving me.

I guess you'll give me a good match.

That's good. Looking real good.

All right! You and me, let's enjoy a battle that can only be staged here in the Pokemon League!"

-Mightyena

Bon Clay

(Intimidate)

Hi Jump Kick = OHKO

-Absol

Hi Jump Kick = OHKO

-Cacturne

Tashigi's Fire Blast = OHKO

-Sharpedo

Lasso's Thunderbolt = OHKO

-Shiftry

Kumadori's Fake Out

Brick Break x2 = KO

Vs. Phoebe

"Ahahaha.

I'm Phoebe of the E4.

I did my training on Mt. Pyre.

While I trained, I gained the ability to commune with Ghost-type Pokemon.

Yes, the bond I developed with Pokemon is extremely tight.

So, come on, just try and see if you can even inflict damage on my Pokemon!"

-Dusclops

Tashigi's Crunchx2 = K.O.

(Dusclops Shadow Punch)

-Dusclops

Tashigi's Crunchx2 = K.O.

(Dusclops Ice Beam = near K.O.)

-Banette

Kumadori's Shadow Ballx2 = K.O.

(Banette's Spite)

-Banette

Kumadori's Shadow Ball = OHKO

-Sableye

Kumadori's Shadow Ball

Sableye's Attract

Lasso's Thunder = K.O.

"There's a definite bond between you and your Pokemon, too.

I didn't recognize it, so it's only natural that I lose.

Yup, I'd like to see how far your bond will carry you.

Go ahead, move on to the next room.

Vs. Glacia

"Welcome, my name is Glacia of the E4.

I've traveled from afar to Hoenn so that I may hone my ice skills.

But all I have seen are challenges by weak trainers and their Pokemon.

What about you?

It would please me to no end if I could go all out against you!"

-Glalie

Bon Clay's Hi Jump Kick = OHKO

-Glalie

Bon Clay's Hi Jump Kick misses and he crashes.

Glalie's Ice beam = near K.O.

Bon Clay's Reversal = KO

-Sealeo

"Advance to the next room.

And there, confirm the truly fearsome side of the Pokemon League."

Vs. Drake

"I am the last of the Pokemon League E4, Drake the Dragon master!

In their natural state, Pokemon are wild living things. They are free.

At times, they hinder us. At times, they help us.

For us to battle with Pokemon as partners, do you know what it takes?

Do you know what is needed?

If you don't, then you will never prevail over me!"

-Shelgon

Kumadori's Fake Out, then Brick Break

Shelgon's Rock Tomb

Kumadori's Shadow Ball

Shelgon's Dragon Claw

Kumadori's Extrasensory = KO

-Flygon

Tashigi's Fly

Flygon's Sandstorm

Tashigi's Crunch

Flygon's Dragonbreath = Near KO

Capt. Kidd's Cursex6

Flygon's Dragonbreath and Dig are ineffective after Curse

Kidd's Metal Claw = KO

-Flygon

Flygon's Flamethrower

Kidd's Superpower = KO

-Altaria

Altaria's Dragonbreath

Kidd's AncientPower = KO

-Salamence

Salamence's Flamethrower = KO

Duval's Dragon Claw = KO

"Superb, it should be said.

You deserve every credit for coming this far as a trainer of Pokemon.

You do seem to know what is needed.

Yes, what a trainer needs is a virtuous heart.

Pokemon touch the good hearts of trainers and learn good from wrong.

They touch the good hearts of trainers and grow strong.

Go! Go onwards! The Champion is waiting!"

Vs. Steven

"Welcome, Law.

I was looking forward to seeing you here one day.

You... What did you see on your journey with Pokemon?

What did you feel, meeting so many other Trainers like you?

What has awoken in you?

I want you to hit me with it all!

Now, bring it!"

-Skarmory

Lasso's Rain Dance

Skarmory's Toxic misses.

Lasso's Thunder = KO

-Aggron

Tashigi's Earthquake

Aggron's Dragon Claw

Tashigi's Fire Blast

-Claydol

Kumadori's Fake Out

Kumadori's Shadow Ball

Claydol's Reflect

Kumadori's Brick Break (breaks Reflect)

Claydol's Earthquake

Kumadori's Shadow Ball

-Cradily

Tashigi's Earthquake

Cradily's Giga Drain

Bon Clay's Hi Jump Kick = KO

-Armaldo

Bon Clay's Hi Jump Kickx2

Armaldo's Aerial Ace

-Metagross

Duval's Flamethrower

-Metagross' Meteor Mash = KO

Tashigi's Earthquake = KO

"Congratulations!

The feelings you have for your Pokemon...

And the Pokemon that responded to those feelings with all their might...

They came together as one, and created an even greater power.

And thus, you were able to grasp victory today!

You are rightfully the Hoenn region's new..."

May: "Law! Here's some advice before you challenge the Champion...

Huh? What, what, what?

Law... Couldt it be that... It's already over?"

Birch: "See? What did I tell you, May?

Didn't I tell you that you don't need to worry about Law?

Law, you've finally done it.

When I heard you defeated your own father at the Petalburg Gym, I thought perhaps you had a chance...

But to think you've actually become the Champion!"


End file.
